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UNIVERSITY   OF   GUELPH 


The  Library 


1874 


RESTRD 

DA  880. RS  J 4  V.4 

Jeffrey,  Alexander,  1806 

The  history  and  antiquities 
of  Roxburghshire  and 
adjacent  districts,  -from  the 
most  remote  period  to  the 

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THE 


HISTOEY  AND  ANTIQUITIES 

OF 

ROXBURGHSHIRE 

AXD 

ADJACENT  DISTBIOTS, 

$xom  %  Post  l&tmoh  $mob  to  %  $jrmtti  Wtm. 

BY  ALEXANDER  JEEFREY,  F.S.A.  SCOT., 

AUTHOR   OF  THE    "GUIDE   TO  THE  ANTIQUITIES  OF  THE   BSRDER,"   &C. 

VOL.  IV. 


EDLNBUKGH :  SETON  &  MACKENZIE. 
LONDON :  WHITTAKER  &  CO. 

MDCCCLXIV. 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  GUtlPU 


PREFACE. 


In  now  presenting  to  the  public  the  concluding 
volume  of  this  work,  I  take  the  opportunity  of 
acknowledging  the  assistance  I  have  received  from 
various  quarters. 

To  Mr  Adam  Mattheson  of  Jedburgh  I  am 
indebted  for  an  opportunity  of  examining  the  re- 
mains of  the  winged  fish  found  by  him  in  the  red 
sandstone  formation  of  Teviotdale,  as  well  as  for 
much  general  information  in  regard  to  points  of 
local  interest  in  the  geology  of  the  district. 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the 
valuable  assistance  I  have  received  from  Dr  John 
Alexander  Smith,  one  of  the  secretaries  to  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland. 

Mr  Thomas  Koberts  afforded  me  material  aid 
in  regard  to  the  manufactures  of  Galashiels. 

I  am  also  happy  to  say  that  Mr  Alexander  Fisher 
of  Galashiels,  a  native  of  Liddesdale,  afforded  me 
assistance  as  to  notices  of  the  passage  of  the  rebel 
army  through  the  valley  of  Liddel. 


The  late  Mr  James  Telfer  of  Saughtree  School- 
house,  communicated  to  me  the  legends  of  "  Helen 
Kid's  Curse,"  and  the  "  Cowie  of  Gorranberry." 

The  "List  of  Indigenous  Plants"  was  written 
by  my  friend  the  late  Mr  James  Duncan.  The 
revisal  of  the  article  was  one  of  the  last  of  his 
literary  labours. 

The  kindness  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  county  I 
shall  ever  gratefully  remember. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  only  to  add,  that  it  was  my 
intention  to  have  given  a  chapter  on  the  annals  of 
the  district,  and  to  have  devoted  another  to  the 
legends  of  the  Border  Land,  but  I  found  it  im- 
possible to  compress  these  chapters  within  the 
compass  of  the  present  volume.  At  some  future 
time,  if  my  life  be  spared,  I  may  issue  a  supple- 
ment containing  these  omitted  chapters,  but,  in 
the  meantime,  the  public  must  look  upon  the  work 
as  completed. 

A.J. 

Jedburgh,  1864. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  IV. 


CHAPTER  I. 


OP  THE  REGALITY  OF  MELROS. 


1.  Condition  of  the  district  before  foundation  of  abbey 

PAGE 

1 

2.  Notices  of  the  family  of  Gospatric 

3 

3.  The  extent  of  the  regality  and  possessions 

of  the  monks 

9 

4.  The  house  of  Mailros 

24 

5.  Its  situation    . . 

29 

6.  Abbots  of  the  house 

30 

7.  The  Girthgate 

34 

8.  Melros,  its  foundation  and  dedication 

36 

9.  Ruins  of  the  abbey 

37 

10.  List  of  the  abbots 

39 

11.  Town  of  the  regality 

41 

12.  Priorbank 

44 

13.  Market  and  trade  of  the  town 

44 

14.  Literature,  schools,  and  institutions     .. 

46 

15.  Dingleton 

47 

16.  Bourjo 

.. 

48 

17.  Camp  on  the  eastern  Eildon 

53 

18.  View  from  the  summit  of  the  hill 

55 

1 9.  Newstead 

58 

20.  Eildun 

63 

21.  Newtown  of  Eildon 

65 

22.  Darnick 

67 

23.  Bridge-end  of  Darnick 

73 

24.  Abbotsford      .. 

74 

25.  Galtunside 

78 

26.  West  Houses 

81 

CONTENTS. 


27.  Dry  grange 

28.  Fauhope 

29.  Redpath 

30.  Cumbesley 

31.  Langshaw 

32.  Moss  Houses  ami  Threpvvude 

33.  Wooplaw  and  Allanshaws 

34.  Blainslie  and  Broad woodshiel 

35.  Whitelee 

36.  Buchelm 

37.  Longhaugh,  Appletreeleaves,  and  Wester  Langlee 

38.  Annals  of  the  Regality 


CHAPTER  II. 


OF  THE  BARONY  OF  GALASHIELS. 

1.  Etymology  of  the  name 

2.  Situation  of  the  old  town,  and  its  extent 

3.  New  town  of  Galashiels 

4.  Notices  of  the  manufactures  of  town  . . 

5.  Description  of  the  town     . . 

6.  The  lands  and  manor  of  Galashiels     . . 

7.  Gala  House 

8.  Rink  Hill,  British  fort  thereon,  description  thereof 

9.  Catrail 
10.  Maiden  Way 


CHAPTER  III. 


OF  THE  BARONY  OF  BOWDEN. 

1.  Etymology  of  the  name     . . 

2.  Extent  of  the  barony 

3.  Town  of  the  barony 

4.  Charter  of  Robert,  Earl  of  Roxburgh,  to  the  feuars 

5.  Church  of  Bowden 

6.  Halidene  Grange 

7.  Faudon  Grange 

8.  Whitlaw  and  Whitmere  Granges 

9.  Middleham      .. 

1 0.  Description  of  the  town  and  lands 

11.  Cavers,  the  estate  of 

12.  Notices  of  the  family 

1 3.  Kyppilaw 

14.  Clarelaw,  Middleham  Mill 

15.  Priestfield 


CONTENTS. 


Vll 


16.  North  and  South  Prestons 

17.  Selkirk 


page 
169 
169 


CHAPTEK  IV. 


OF  THE  TOWNS  AND  LANDS  OF  LESSUDDEN. 


1 .  Etymology  of  name,  and  extent  of  territory 

171 

2.  Lessudden  Place 

177 

3.  Notices  of  the  family  of  Scott 

178 

4.  Fair  of  St  Boswells 

180 

5.  The  Church  of  St  Boswells 

181 

6.  Elliston  and  Cambeston 

182 

7.  Maxpoffle 

183 

8.  Hilton 

184 

CHAPTER  V. 


OF  THE  TEEKITOKT  OF  MAXTON. 

1.  Name  derived  from  an  early  Saxon  settler  . .  186 

2.  Grants  by  Berkeley  and  Norman ville  to  Melrose  Abbey   187 

3.  Muirhouselaw                     . .                  . .  . .  191 

4.  Rutherfurd,  etymology  of  name,  and  situation  ..  192 
.5.  Town  and  hospital  of  Rutherfurd        ..  ..  193 

6.  Littledean,  its  situation ;  a  town  of  the  Kers  . .  194 

7.  Plowlands       ..                  ..                  ..  ..  195 

8.  Church  of  the  territory      . .                  . .  . .  196 

9.  Watling  street  forms  the  western  boundary  . .  197 
10.   Improvement  of  the  territory               ..  ..  198 


CHAPTER  VI. 


OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  LILLIESLEAF. 


1.  Etymology  of  its  name       ..  ..  ..  199 

2.  Bishop's  barony  of  Lilliesleaf  . .  . .  200 

3.  The  church  of  Lilliesleaf  . .  . .  . .  200 

4.  Of  the  family  of  Riddell,  and  barony  of  Riddell  . .  202 

5.  Mansion-house  of  the  barony,  and  remarkable  trees  in 

the  grounds  . .  . .  . .  209 

6.  Linthill  and  chapel  . .  . .  . .  2t)9 

7.  Town  of  Lilliesleaf  ..  ..  ..  211 

8.  Conventicles  held  in  Lilliesleaf  Moor  . .  . .  211 


Vlll  CONTEXTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

OF  LIDDISDALE. 

PAGE 

1 .  Derivation  of  the  name ;  extent  of  the  territory,  and  its 

boundaries  . .  . .  . .  . .  213 

2.  Grant  of  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  by  Edmund  to 

Malcolm  ;  state  of  the  district  in  early  times     . .  214 

3.  Ranulph  de  Sules  the  earliest  name  seen  in  connection 

with  the  territory  ;  notices  of  the  family  . .  217 

4.  Eiddel's  strength,  and  Clint  wood  Castle  .'.  218 

5.  Edward  I.  granted  Hermitage  to  John  de  Wake  . .  22  ) 

6.  Bestowed  by  Robert  I.  to  William  de  Sules  ;  Edward  de 

Bailiol  granted  lands  to  William  de  Warren     . .  221 

7.  Douglas  in  possession  of  the   territory ;  forced  to  ex- 

change it  with  Bothwell  . .  . .  222 

8.  Bothwell  forfeited,  and  lands  granted  to  Sir  Walter  Scott  223 

9.  Notices  of  the  Family  of  Scott  . .  . .  224 

10.  Hermitage  Castle,  its  name  and  situation ;  by  whom  built  225 

1 1 .  Clans  on  the  borders  ;  the  leading  clans  Elliot  and  Arm- 

strong        ..  ..  ..  ..  230 

12.  Towers  or  peels  of  Liddesdale  . .  . .  231 

13.  Helen  Kid's  Curse  . .  . .  . .  284 

14.  Town  of  New  Castleton ;  description  thereof ;  church  of  245 

15.  Agriculture  in  the  valley  at  an  early  period  . .  248 

1 6.  Eagle  visited  the  valley  down  to  end  of  last  century ; 

crane  shot  near  it  in  1 863  . .  . .  249 

17.  Roads  in  the  district,  when  made  ;  bridges  ;  railways       25 0 

18.  Inhabitants  of  district  were  all  freebooters  ;  raid  of  James 

V.    to  the  borders ;    hanged    Johnnie    Armstrong ; 
state  of  the  borders  at  the  time       . .  . .  252 

1 9.  Refuge  of  the  clans  in  time  of  danger  ;  raid  of  Sir  Rob- 

ert Carey  to  the  district ;  Tarras  Moss  . .  256 

20.  Bond  entered  into  by  the  barons,  &c,  of  Berwick,  Rox- 

burgh, Selkirk,  and  Peebles,  not  to  intercommune  with 
the  owners  of  Teviotdale,  Eskdale,  and  Annandale        258 

21.  Colonels  Bright  and  Pride  at  Castleton  Church  in  1649     260 

22.  In  1745  rebel  army  entered  Liddesdale  by  Knote  of  the 

Gate  ;  stopt  a  night  in  the  valley 

23.  Conduct  of  the  Dalesmen  when  bale  fires  kindled  by  mis- 

take ..  ..  ..  ..  263 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OF  THE  REGALITY  OF  HAWICK. 

1 .  Its  name,  situation,  and  extent  of  territory ;  Lovel  first 

seen  in  connexion  with  the  lands     . .  . .  265 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE 

2.  Robert  I.  conferred  lands  on  Sir  Henry  de  Baliol ;  David 

II.  granted  them  to  Murray  of  Strathearn  ;  the  terri- 
tory gained  by  the  bravery  of  William  Douglas  267 

3.  In  1 511  the  King  granted  a  charter  in  favour  of  Douglas 

of  Drumlanrig  of  the  barony  of  Hawick  . .  268 

4.  From  Douglas  the  lands  passed  to  the  family  of  Scott  by 

purchase  in  1 675  ..  ..  ..  270 

5.  Burgh  of  Hawick  ;  situation  and  scenery  . .  271 

6.  Its  erection  into  a  burgh  ;   charter  of  Douglas  of  Drum- 

lanrig ..  ..  ..  ..  272 

7.  Government  of  the  burgh  . .  . .  . .  277 

8.  Common  of  the  town,  its  extent  and  division  . .  280 

9.  Streets  and  buildings  of  the  burgh 

1 0.  Burgh  famous  for  its  woollen  manufactures  ;  notices  of     284 

11.  Riding  of  the  marches  ;   song  sung  by  cornet ;    remarks 

12.  Church  of  Hawick  ..  ..  ..  292 

13.  Goudielands  Castle  ..  ..  ..  293 

1 4.  Branxholm  barony,  original!}'  part  of  Hawick  barony  ; 

castle  of      . .  . .  . .  193 

15.  Howpasley  and  Harwood  . .  . .  295 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OF  THE  BAKONY  OF  WILTON. 

1.  Its  name,  situation,  and  extent ;  in  the  reign  of  Edward 

I.,  William  de  Charteris  and  Walter  de  Pertchay  pos- 
sessed lands  . .  . .  . .  298 

2.  Robert  I.   conferred  territory  on  Henry  of  Wardlaw ; 

James  III.  granted  lands  to  John  Langlands  ;  Roger 
Langlands  slew  Sir  George  Farnylaw,  chaplain  299 

3.  Town  of  Wilton ;  manufactures  there  . .  300 

4.  Church  of  Wilton  . .  . .  . .  301 

5.  Stirches,  the  seat  of  the  family  of  Chisholm  ;  its  situation 

and  scenery  ;  notices  of  the  old  baronial  tower  ;  notices 

of  the  family  of  Chisholm  . .  . .  302 

6.  Harden  ;  territory  an  old  possession  of  the  Seotts  ;  castle 

of  Harden  ;  abode  of  border  chieftain  Wat  of  Harden 

CHAPTER  X. 

OF  THE  BAKONIES  OF  MINTO  AND  HASSENDEAN. 

1.  Etymology  of  the  name     ..  ..  ..  3r>8 

2.  Situation  and  extent  of  barony  . .  . .  309 

3.  Lands  granted  by  Robert  I.  to  William  the  Barber ;  in 

1329  lands  in  possession  of  theTurnbulls  ;  Robert  III. 
granted  lands  resigned  by  Sir  George  Abernethy  to  Sir 


Z  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

William  Stewart ;  lands  afterwards  divided  between 
Stewart  and  Turnbull,  and  possessed  by  the  families 
till  1622       ..  ..  ..  ..  311 

4.  In  1695  the  whole  lands  and  barony  granted  by  King 

William  to  Gideon  Scott  of  Heychester;  on  the  resigna- 
tion of  the  said  Gideon  Scott  lands  granted  to  Sir 
Gilbert  Elliot ;  notices  of  the  family  . .  312 

5.  Mansion-house  of  Minto  ;  remarkable  trees  in  grounds      317 

6.  The  church  of  Minto  ;  parish  school    . .  . .  31* 

7.  Barony  of  Hassendean  ;  its  name,  situation,  and  boun- 

daries ..  ..  ..  ..  320 

8.  In  the  days  of  Malcolm  lands  property  of  crown  ;  granted 

to  Walter  the  son  of  the  Stewart ;  erected  into  a  free 
barony  by  Robert  I.  in  favour  of  Sir  James  Cunning- 
ham ;  monks  of  Kelso  had  part  of  the  property ; 
church  of  Hassendean  . .  . .  . .  321 

9.  Hassendean   burn,   Horsleyhill,   Huntlaw,    and    Briery 

Yards         ..  ..  ..  ..  323 


CHAPTER  XL 


OF  THE  BAEONY  OF  CAVERS. 

1.  Etymology  of  the  name  ;  extent  of  territory  . .  324 

2.  Early  owners  of  barony  ;  grant  of  part  of  barony  in  favour 

of  monks  of  Melros        . .  . .  . .  325 

3.  Robert  I.  bestowed  barony  on  the  good  Sir  James  Dou- 

glas ;  lands  still  remain  in  the  same  family     . .  327 

4.  The  lands  and  barony  of  Stobs,  comprehended  in  the  old 

barony  ;  passed  into  family  of  Elliots  during  fifteenth 
century  ;  still  possessed  by  the  same  family    . .  329 

5.  Castle  of  the  barony  ;  tower  thereof  ;  Denholm  . .  330 

6.  Church  of  Cavers ;  chapel  of  St  Cuthbert ;  legends  in 

regard  thereto  ;  chapel  of  Carlenriggs  . .  339 

7.  Characteristics  of  the  territory  . .  . .  340 


CHAPTER  XII. 


NOTICES  OF  THE  AGRICULTURE  AND  ROADS. 

1 .  Britons  had  knowledge  of  agriculture  before  arrival  of  the 

Romans  ;  state  of  it    . .  . .  . .  342 

2.  The  earliest  granges         . .  . .  . .  345 

3.  Turnips  first  sown  at  Melros  by  Dr  Rutherford ;  mode  of 

sowing  the  crop  ;  Mr  Dawson  of  Frogden  introduced 
system  of  cropping  in  the  open  fields ;  its  success  346 

4.  Grass  seeds  first  sown  by  Dr  Rutherford  . .  343 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PAGE 

5.  Potato  husbandry  ;  potato  never  considered  as  a  crop 

till  Baron  Rutherford  of  Fairnington  set  the  example   349 

6.  Marie  introduced  as  a  manure  ;  introduction  of  lime  349 

7.  James  Church,  tenant  of  Moss-Tower,  introduced  a  kind 

of  oats,  which  were  highly  esteemed  . .  349 

8.  Lord  Buchan  introduced  the  culture  of  the  field  carrot      349 

9.  The  tobacco  plant  introduced  by  Mr  Thomas  Mem ;  first 

tried  at  Newstead,  near  Melrose  . .  . .  349 

10.  Fanners,  introduced  by  whom  ;  barley  mill ;  the  thresh- 

ing mill  first  used  at  Melrose,   Bowden,  and  Fair- 
nington     . .  . .  . .  . .  350 

11.  Windmills;  wain  and  cart ;  plough,  when  introduced         351 

12.  Roads  and  railways  . .  . .  . .  363 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

OF  ITS   EMINENT   MEN. 

William  Turnbull,  son  of  Turnbull  of  Bedrule ;  Alexander 
Cairncross,  of  Cumbesley  ;  John  Rutherford,  of  Jed- 
burgh, teacher  of  scholastic  philosophy;  Samuel 
Rutherford,  of  Nisbet;  James  Thomson,  author  of 
"  The  Seasons,"  born  at  Ednam  ;  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  of 
Minto  ;  John  Armstrong,  physician,  born  at  Castle- 
ton  ;  John  Buchan,  physician,  born  at  Ancrum  ;  Wil- 
liam Turnbull,  physician,  born  at  Hawick  ;  John 
Leyden,  born  at  Denholm  ;  Thomas  Somerville,  author 
of  "A  History  of  the  Reign  of  Queen  Anne,"  born  at 
Hawick ;  Robert  Balmer,  an  eminent  divine,  born  at 
Ormston  Mains ;  James  Bell,  a  geographer,  born  at 
Jedburgh ;  James  Brown,  an  eminent  linguist,  born 
at  Kelso  ;  John  Clerk,  the  author  of  several  works  on 
medicine,  born  at  Roxburgh  ;  Sir  David  Dickson,  born 
at  Bedrule ;  Mark  Duncan,  born  at  Maxpoffle :  Robert 
Edmonston,  painter,  born  at  Kelso  ;  Robert  Hall, 
born  at  Haughead,  on  Cayle ;  Robert  Riccaltoun,  an 
eminent  divine,  born  at  Venchon,  Yetholm ;  James 
Telfer,  born  in  the  parish  of  Southdean;  Robert  David- 
son, born  at  Lempitlaw ;  John  Younger.  Vide  also 
notices  of  other  eminent  men  interspersed  throughout 
the  work. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LIST  OF  INDIGENOUS  PLANTS. 


THE 


HISTOKY   AND   ANTIQUITIES 

OP 

ROXBURGHSHIRE,  &c. 


CHAPTER  I. 

OF  THE  REGALITY  OF  MELROS. 

Before  entering  upon  a  particular  enquiry  into  the 
Regality  of  Melros,  it  will  be  instructive  to  sketch 
briefly  the  condition  of  the  district  preceding  the 
time  David  I.  founded  the  Monastery  of  Melros. 
As  stated  in  a  previous  part  of  this  work,  the  ter- 
ritory was  occupied  by  the  Gadeni  people,  with 
Jedburgh  for  a  capital.  During  the  greater  part 
of  the  Roman  period,  it  formed  a  part  of  the  pro- 
vince of  Valentia,  which  included  all  the  country 
between  the  wall  of  Hadrian  on  the  south,  and  the 
barrier  of  Antonine  on  the  north.  After  the  Romans 
left,  the  district  came  to  be  bounded  by  the  king- 


2  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

dom  of  Strathclyde  on  the  west,  which  probably  at 
one  time  stretched  as  far  eastward  as  the  Catrail, 
and  on  the  east  by  the  Saxon  kingdom. 

The  descendants  of  the  ancient  Gadeni  inhabiting 
Teviotdale  and  the  banks  of  Tweed,  were  ruled  over 
by  Urien  of  Keged,*  who  bravely  opposed  the 
Saxon  invaders  till  he  was  treacherously  slain  by 
Morcant,  the  king  of  Strathclyde.  When  the  family 
of  Urien  was  expelled  the  throne,  the  district  was 
incorporated  with  the  kingdom  of  Northumbria. 
About  635,  part  of  the  land  of  Melros  was  included 
in  the  endowment  which  the  pious  charity  of  King 
Oswald  settled  on  Bishop  Aidan.  The  oppressions 
of  the  Norman  William  caused  many  of  the  emi- 
nent men  of  England  to  seek  an  asylum  with  Mal- 
colm, from  whom  they  received  grants  of  land,  on 
which  they  settled  with  their  vassals  and  depen- 
dants. One  of  the  greatest  of  the  Northumbrian 
fugitives  was  Gospatric  the  Earl,  who  got  the 
grant  of  many  lands  in  the  Merse  and  Lothian,  and 
whose  descendants  rose  to  be  Earls  of  Dunbar,  f 


*  Jedburgh. 

t  Gospatric  was  descended  in  the  female  line  from  Earl 
Uchtred,  by  his  third  wife,  Elfgiva,  daughter  of  King  Ethel- 
red.  An  only  daughter,  Aldgitha,  was  the  issue  of  this 
marriage,  who  married  Maldred,  son  of  Crinan  the  Thane, 
and  was  the  mother  of  Gospatric.  He  purchased  for  a  large 
sum  of  money  from  William  the  Conqueror,  the  Earldom  of 
Northumberland,  to  which  he  had  hereditary  claims  as  grand- 
son of  the  great  Earl  Uchtred.     Bamburgh  was  the  capital 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  O 

One  of  these  grants  comprehended  the  manor  of 
Ercildon  on  the  Leder,  and  formed  one  of  the 

of  the  Earldom,  which  extended  over  Northumbria,  includ- 
ing Yorkshire.  In  1072  he  was  deprived  of  his  Earldom 
for  having  aided,  in  1069,  the  murderers  of  Cumin,  who  had 
been  selected  by  William  to  fill  the  office  of  Earl  on  the  for- 
feiture of  Gospatric,  and  for  having  taken  part  with  the 
insurgents  of  York  at  the  time  of  the  Norwegian  invasion. 
Gospatric  was  the  only  name  representing  the  once  powerful 
Anglo-Saxon  aristocracy,  all  the  rest  having  been  swept 
away  and  their  lands  given  to  strangers.  The  Earls  of 
Dunbar  held  lands  in  both  kingdoms.  In  Northumberland 
they  had  the  barony  of  Beanly,  which  they  held  by  the  special 
service  of  Inburg'  and  Hntburg\  or  Inborough  and  Outbor- 
ough,  between  the  realms  of  England  and  Scotland.  A 
difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  service. 
Cambden's  interpretation  of  this  tenure  is  that  the  Earls 
of  Dunbar  were  bound  to  observe  the  ingress  and  egress  of 
those  who  travelled  to  and  fro  between  the  kingdoms,  for 
in  the  old  English,  u  inborrow  "  is  an  ingress  or  entry.  Chal- 
mers derives  the  word  from  Borough,  a  surety  or  pledge, 
and  that  the  meaning  of  the  passage  is  that  the  Earl  was 
to  be  "  surety  for  the  peace  of  both  kingdoms  within  the 
border  and  without."  Hodgson  Hinde,  in  his  history  of 
Northumberland,  says  that  "  the  words  seem  to  be  tlnbearer 
or  Outbearer,'  the  bearer  of  communications  between  the 
two  kingdoms,"  and  refers  to  two  other  estates  in  the  same 
county,  enjoyed  by  similar  tenures;  one  by  the  service  of 
carrying  the  King's  writs  between  the  Tyne  and  Coquet, 
and  the  other  of  executing  the  same  duty  between  the 
Coquet  and  Tweed.  Having  lands  in  both  kingdoms,  made 
such  an  appointment  of  the  Earls  of  Dunbar  peculiarly  ap- 
propriate, as  the  bearers  of  communications  within  the  two 
realms.  But  there  is  a  difficulty  of  adopting  this  view  of 
Mr  Hinde's,  although  it  appears  the  most  probable. 


4  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

boundaries  of  the  regality  of  Melros  on  the  east. 
When  Earl  David  succeeded,  under  his  father's 
will,  to  the  country  lying  on  the  south  of  the  Forth, 
excepting  Lothian,  which  then  extended  to  the 
Tweed,  he  seems  to  have  held  the  lands  in  his  own 
hands.  Owing  to  his  being  educated  at  the  court 
of  Henry  I.,  and  married  to  an  English  Countess, 
with  many  vassals,  he  was  followed  by  a  thousand 
Anglo-Normans,  to  whom  he  distributed  lands,  and, 
like  Grospatric,  they  settled  with  their  vassals.  One 
of  these  was  Hugh  Moreville,  who  came  from 
Burg  in  Cumberland.  He  acquired  great  posses- 
sions in  Lauderdale,  and  other  parts  of  Scotland, 
and  became  Constable  of  Scotland,  which  office 
descended  through  a  long  line  of  illustrious  heirs 
male  and  female.*     On  the  west  the  possessions  of 

*  Hugh  Moreville  was  a  witness  to  the  Inquisitio  Davidis, 
1116.  He  married  Beatrice  de  Bello  Campo,  by  whom  he 
had  a  son  Bichard,  who  was  Prime  Minister  to  William  the 
Lion.  Richard  married  Avicia  de  Lancaster,  by  whom  he 
had  a  son  William,  and  daughter  Elena.  William  married 
but  had  no  children,  and  at  his  death  his  office  and  estates 
were  enjoyed  by  Elena  and  her  husband  Ronald,  lord  of 
Galloway.  Their  son  Allan  is  mentioned  in  Magna  Charta, 
and  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  wealthiest  Barons  in 
Britain,  and  at  his  death  in  1 234  his  possessions  and  office 
descended  to  his  three  daughters.  The  eldest,  Elena,  married 
the  Earl  of  Winchester ;  Christian,  the  second,  married  a  son 
of  the  Earl  of  Albemarle  ;  and  Dervorgil,  the  youngest,  John 
Baliol  of  Bernard  Castle.  The  Morvilles  had  many  vassals 
who  afterwards  rose  to  great  eminence  in  the  kingdom. 
The  progenitor  of  the  family  of  Lauderdale  was  a  vassal  of 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  5 

Morville  lay  along  the  Gala  to  the  Tweed,  and  as 
far  down  that  river  as  the  Aloent  or  Alwyn.  On 
the  north  the  grant  seems  to  have  extended  as  far 
into  the  royal  forest  as  the  Blainsleys.  To  the 
east  of  the  Leder  the  king  held  the  lands  of  Birkin- 
side  and  Legerdeswode  in  his  demesn,  and  these 
were  afterwards  granted  by  Malcolm  IV.  to  Walter 
his  Steward,  who  had  come  from  Shropshire.* 
These  lands  were  subsequently  given  by  his  grand- 
son Walter,  in  marriage  with  his  daughter  Eu- 
phemia,  to  Patrick  Earl  of  Dunbar.  The  More- 
villes  also  possessed  the  lands  of  Bemerside,  lying 
along  the  Tweed  from  the  foot  of  Leder  eastwards. 
The  whole  lands  of  Melros,  Eldun,  and  Dernwie 
on  the  south  of  the  Tweed  were  held  by  David  I. 
in  his  demesn.  On  the  north  of  the  Tweed  between 
the  Leder  on  the  east,  and  Gala  on  the  west,  as 
far  as  the  property  of  the  Morevilles  on  the  north, 
lay  the  forest  of  Wedalefi  in  which  the  owners  of 

the  first  constable.  He  was  called  Elsi  the  son  of  Winter, 
and  attained  a  grant  of  the  lands  of  Thirlstane  from  Hugh 
de  Moreville.  His  son  Alan  assumed  the  surname  of  Thirl- 
stane, who  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Richard,  whose 
daughter  carried  the  lands  of  Thirlstane  to  Richard  de 
Mautelant.  The  name  of  Mautelant  is  first  seen  as  a 
witness  to  a  charter  of  John  de  Landales  of  Hownam  in 
1227.  The  progenitor  of  the  Haigs  of  Bemerside  was  also 
a  vassal  of  the  constable,  from  whom  he  got  the  lands. 

*  Vide  volume  iii.,  p.  267,  for  a  notice  of  this  family. 

t  This  name  is  said  to  have  been  conferred  on  this  dale 
on  account  of  the  bloody  scenes  enacted  within  its  bounds 


6  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

the  surrounding  manors  claimed  rights  of  pasturage. 
On  the  west  of  the  Gala  lay  the  forests  of  Selkirk, 
Ettrick,  and  Traquair,  which  in  the  course  of  time 
assumed  the  name  of  Ettrick  forest.  This  forest 
seems  to  have  comprehended  the  whole  shire  of 
Selkirk,  with  the  exception  of  the  burgh  of  Selkirk 
and  the  lands  lying  to  the  east  thereof,  the  property 
of  the  monks  of  Kelso.  From  these  notices  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  district  was  full  of  extensive  woods. 
Several  writers  of  the  present  day  entertain  the 
idea  that  the  country  is  as  full  of  woods  at  this 
time  as  in  King  David's  days.  Such  a  view  is, 
however,  not  warranted  by  the  facts  to  be  seen  in 
every  grant  of  land  to  the  monasteries  during  the 
12th  and  13th  centuries.  In  a  great  number  of 
these  grants  the  word  wood  is  used,  not  forest  only. 
David  gave  the  monks  of  Melros  in  the  forest  of 
Wedale  wood  and  timber  for  building,  and  after- 
wards added  the  wood  of  Galtunside.*  He  also 
gave  the  same  monks  the  right  to  cut  wood  in  the 
forests  of  Selkirk  and  Traquair. f  The  same  king 
granted  to  the  church  of  St  John  of  Koxburgh  the 

between  the  swineherds  of  Melros  and  the  men  of  Stow. 
But  this  etymology  seems  doubtful,  and  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  the  name  is  intended  to  describe  a  small  dale, 
and  this  seems  the  more  probable  as  the  name  originally 
applied  to  the  head  of  the  valley  of  the  Allan  ;  or  it  may  be 
that  the  name  is  a  corruption  of  Wad-dale,  the  dale  of 
meadows,  a  name  very  descriptive  of  the  nature  of  the  lands 
in  that  locality,  and  also  on  the  Gala. 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  pp.  1,  2.  f  lb. 


tithe  of  his  copsewood  in  Teviotdale.*     He  also 
granted  to  the  abbey  of  Dryburgh  the  lands  of 
Cadysley,  with  pasture  and  right  of  cutting  wood. 
In  an  agreement  between  the  monks  of  Kelso  and 
Melros,   reference   is   made    to    a   divided  wood, 
"  nemus  scissum"  and  the  march  is  pointed  out  by 
marks  on  the  oaks.f    David  also  granted  to  the 
monks  of  Selkirk  the  right  to  cut  wood  either  for 
building  or  burning,  as  fully  as  he  enjoyed  the 
same.     When  Walter,  the  son  of  Alan,  granted  to 
the  canons  of  Dryburgh  the  lands  of  Herdsley, 
near  Cadesley,  he  reserved  the  road  which  led  to 
the  wood  "ad  nemus "J    Alexander  Baliol,  who 
succeeded  the  Morevilles,  gave  to  the  same  canons 
half  of  the  forest  of  Gl&diswood  on  the  banks  of 
Tweed,  and  Peter  de  Haig  of  Bemerside,  a  vassal 
of  the  Morevilles,  gave  to  the  same  canons  the 
forest  of  Flatwooc?.§     Every  monastery  had  the 
privilege  of  cutting  wood  for  burning,  and  for  every 
other  purpose,  in  all  the  royal  forests,  and  this  use 
of  the  forests  extended  to  the  people  living  under 
the  monks,  and  cultivating  their  lands.     Edward 
I.  granted  leave  to  the  abbot  of  Melrose  to  take 
forty  oaks  out  of  the  forest  of  Selkirk  to  repair  the 
house  of  Melros.  ||     The  grants  of  saltworks  by  the 
king  and  canons  to  the  monks  included  the  right 


*  Reg.  Glas.,  p.  10.        f  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  135-6. 

%  Lib.  de  Dryburgh.         §  Caledonia,  vol.  ii.  p.  306. 

||  Rolls  of  Pari.,  ii.  p.  469. 


8  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

of  a  supply  of  fuel  from  the  woods.  History 
informs  us  that  the  forest  of  Jedburgh  was  of  great 
extent,  and  so  closely  wooded  as  to  be  the  safest 
retreat  for  individuals  and  armies.  In  these  woods 
the  good  Sir  James  Douglas  lay  and  defied  the 
armies  of  England,  and  so  impregnable  was  his 
position  deemed  while  the  woods  existed,  that  the 
English  on  one  occasion  carried  axes  to  cut  down 
the  trees.  In  the  invasions  of  Scotland  by  the 
English  it  was  the  common  practice  of  the  enemy 
to  burn  down  the  woods.  In  the  age  of  David  I., 
wood  was  the  principal  fuel.  The  names  of  places 
in  the  district  between  the  Leder  and  Gala  evince 
that  it  had  been  covered  with  woods :  Langshaw, 
All&nshaw,  HaresAaw,  Thveeipwood,  Broeidivood- 
hill,  Woodhe&d,  Weeplawwood  On  the  south 
bank  of  the  Tweed,  a  wood  of  oak  existed  to  modern 
times  called  the  Prior  wood,  which  gave  name  to 
Aikiedean.  The  slopes  of  the  Eildon  hills  are 
said  to  have  been  in  early  times  clothed  with  wood, 
and  at  Halidean,  in  Bowden  parish,  there  existed 
a  wood  of  five  hundred  acres,  which  was  called  the 
deer  park.  In  the  same  locality  many  oaks  and 
firs  have  been  found  in  the  mosses  several  feet 
below  the  surface.  Altars  have  also  been  found  in 
this  locality,  dedicated  to  the  god  of  the  ivoods  by 
the  Eoman  soldiers  in  the  second  century,  for  pro- 
tection while  passing  through  the  swampy  forests* 
On  the  whole  it  is  impossible  to  resist  the  con- 

Vol.  i.  pp.  235-6. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  U 

elusion  that  the  district  was  at  one  time  covered 
with  woods. 

The  Regality,  as  enjoyed  by  the  monks,  compre- 
hended the  whole  parish  of  Melrose,  all  the  parish 
of  St  Boswells,  excepting  Eliston,  and  the  parish 
of  Ettrick,  in  the  shire  of  Selkirk.  The  lands 
of  Melros,  Eldun,  and  Dernewic  were  granted  by 
David  I.  in  1136  to  the  monastery,  and  include  all 
the  parish  on  the  south  of  Tweed.  The  charter  is 
dated  "Apud  Ercheldon  in  junto"  and  the  wit- 
nesses were  Henry  his  son,  John  the  bishop,  Wil- 
liam his  nephew,  William  the  chancellor,  Madd  the 
earl,  with  other  men  of  the  country,  such  as,  Gos- 
patric  the  earl,  Ulfchillo  the  son  of  Ethel stan,  Osolf 
the  son  of  Huctred,  Maccus  the  son  of  Unwin, 
Huctred  the  son  of  Sioth,  Huctred  the  son  of  Gos- 
patric,  Orm  the  son  of  Eilaf,  Eilaf  the  son  of  Gos- 
patric,  Edufo  the  son  of  Norman,  Osolf  the  son  of 
Ediu,  Osolf  the  son  of  Elfstan,  Robert  Brus  Meschin 
(younger),  Radulf  the  son  of  Turston,  and  Roger 
the  nephew  of  the  bishop.  Earl  Henry's  charter  of 
confirmation  was  also  granted  at  the  same  place  in 
presence  of  the  same  witnesses.*  The  same  king 
afterwards  added  Galtuneshalech,f  and  the  whole 
lands  and  woods  of  Galtunside.  This  property  was 
bounded  by  the  Tweed  on  the  north,  by  the  Leder 
on  the  east  to  Fawhopeburn,  by  the  said  burn  on 

*  Lib  de  Melros,  pp.  3,  4. 

f  lb.  "  ad  incrementu  (to  improve?)  Galtuneshalech." 


/ 


,'" 


10  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

the  north,  and  thence  over  the  moor  to  Raeburn,  by 
said  burn  till  it  flows  into  the  Aloent,  and  by  that 
stream  to  the  Tweed.*  When  Malcolm  IV.  con- 
firmed these  grants  of  his  predecessors,  he  added, 
"  one  stead  in  Cumbesly  for  building  a  cow-house 
for  100  cows  and  a  fold."f  In  this  charter  the 
bounds  of  the  lands  of  Galtunside  are  particularly 
described.  On  William  the  Lion  ascending  the 
throne,  he  confirmed  the  grants  of  David  and  Mal- 
colm. J  Alewentshaws  and  Threepwood  were 
granted  by  Alan  the  Constable  by  the  following 
boundaries : — 

''From  Fairforde  ascending  to  Staincross,  and  thence 
ascending  to  the  bounds  of  Wedale,  and  thence  by  the  way 
which  divides  Wedale  from  Lauderdale,  as  far  as  Alewen-X 
tisheude,  and  thence  by  the  bounds  between  Weddale  and 
Lawder,  as  far  as  the  way  which  separates  Burnerig  from 
Leudeparc,  and  along  the  same  way  descending  to  the  stone- 
cross,  and  thence  transversely  to  the  cross  which  is  situated 
at  the  head  of  Fulewithenis,  and  thence  by  the  way  towards 
the  south  near  Harlaw,  till  you  come  opposite  Morclow,  and 
thence  descending  by  a  rivulet  to  Standenburne,  and  thence 
ascending  as  far  as  the  boundaries  of  Threpuude."§ 

The  monastery  obtained  from  King  William, 
Alan  the  steward,  the  Morevilles,  and  Gospatric, 
the  lands  of  Blenislei,  Milkeside,  and  Sorowlesfelde, 
with  the  Chapel  of  St  Mary  of  the  Park,  and  the 
buildings  of  Cumbesley,  Buchelm,  and  Whiteley. 
The  lands  attached  to  the  chapel  were  bounded  as 
follows : — 

*  So  named  probably  from  the  place  being  the  haunt  of  deer, 
t  Lib.  de  Meiros,  p.  6.  %  lb.  p.  12.  §  lb.  p.  69. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  11 

"  As  the  ditch  surrounds  the  court  of  the  chapel,  and 
westward,  and  northward,  and  towards  the  eastern  gate,  and 
thence  downwards  to  the  rivulet,  descending  from  the  wood 
on  the  northside  of  the  causeway  to  the  rivulet,  by  which 
two  fishpools  are  formed,  of  which  we  have  assigned  the 
upper  to  the  foresaid  chapel,  and  the  lower  to  our  sick  of 
Bune,  and  thence  upwards  by  the  same  rivulet  as  far  as  the 
fosse  which  surrounds  the  foresaid  court  of  the  chapel  on 
the  west  side."  * 

Milkeside  is  thus  described  : — 

11  From  the  upper  fishpool  down  by  the  same  rivulet 
which  falls  into  the  said  fishpool,  as  far  as  the  great  cause- 
way which  goes  from  Lauder  towards  Birkinside,  and  thence 
by  the  same  causeway  southward  to  the  eastern  head  of  the 
ditch,  which  the  foresaid  monks  made  after  our  assignation 
between  their  land  and  the  land  which  we  ha\e  assigned  on 
the  south  to  our  sick,  and  from  the  said  head  of  the  ditch 
made  by  the  monks  along  the  same  westwards  to  the  ancient 
ditch  which  crosses  the  plain  from  south  to  north,  and 
thence  southward  to  the  head  of  the  same  ancient  ditch ;  and 
thence  descending  obliquely  in  the  direction  in  which  Joce- 
line,  Lord  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  and  the  cellarer  of  Melros, 
perambulated  the  boundary  as  far  as  the  rivulet  called 
Mereburn  (Marchburn)  which  is  the  boundary  between  the 
lands  of  Milkeside  and  the  lands  of  Blenislei,  to  the  great 
causeway  which  descends  from  Windelaue  to  Lauuder,  and 
thence  by  the  same  causeway  northwards  to  the  road  which 
runs  from  it  to  Milkeside,  and  by  that  way  to  the  head  of 
the  ditch  which  wef  had  begun  before  we  gave  the  lands  of 
Milkeside  to  the  abbey  of  Melros,  and  thence  to  the  southern 
head  of  the  ditch  which  surrounds  the  court  of  the  said 
chapel  on  the  west." 

*  Lib.  de  Mailros,  pp.  81-100.  Acta  Pari.  Scot.,  vol  i.  p.  66. 
t  Richard  de  Moreville  and  Avicia  Lancaster  his  wife. 


12  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Richard  Moreville  quite  claimed  to  the  abbey  the 
following  territory,  which  had  been  the  ground  of 
dispute  between  him  and  the  monks  : — 

11  Along  the  east  side  of  Gala  up  towards  the  direction  of 
their  own  property,  as  far  as  the  boundaries  of  Wedale,  as 
also  along  the  right  boundaries  of  the  land  of  Richard  de 
Moreville,  viz. :  as  the  Mereburne  falls  into  the  Leder,  up  to 
the  source  of  the  same  Mereburne,  and  thence  along  the  syke 
which  issues  from  the  Mereburn  to  the  spot  where  that 
syke  falls  into  the  rivulet  of  Standene,  and  thence  as  far  as 
Pot,  and  from  Pot  to  Standande-stane,  and  thence  as  far  as 
the  Kingsway  where  it  enters  the  wood,  and  divides  the 
wood  of  Standene,  and  of  Threpwude,  and  thence  by  the 
same  kingsway  to  Fairforde,  and  afterwards  along  that 
way  which  goes  to  the  right  as  far  as  the  bounds  of  Wedale, 
and  thence  by  the  right  bounds  of  Wedale  to  the  Galhe.* 

From  this  grant  the  wood  of  Threpwude  was  re- 
served, but  the  pasturage  was  to  belong  to  the 
monks.     The  wood  is  described  as  follows  : — 

"  From  Fairfurde  down  by  the  Aloent  to  the  moss  which 
is  between  Threpwude  and  Cumbesleie-cnol,  and  thence  by 
the  same  moss  as  far  as  the  foresaid  Pot." 

The  men  of  Wedale  disputed  with  the  servants 
of  the  monks  as  to  the  rights  of  pasturage  in  part 
of  the  forest,  and  which  was  settled  by  arbitration 
in  presence  of  the  king.     It  was  declared 

"  That  the  king's  forest,  which  was  the  pasture  of  the 
monks,  extended  to  the  road  leading  to  the  west  side  of  the 
Church  of  Weddale,  and  as  far  as  the  rivulet  called  Fasse- 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  100-103.  Acta  Pari.  Scot.,  vol.  i. 
pp.  65,  66. 


KOXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  13 


burn  should  be  theirs,  so  that  no  one  might  share  it  with 
them."* 

A  controversy  between  the  monks  and  Patrick 
Earl  of  March,  was  settled  at  Selkirk  in  1208,  in 
presence  of  the  King  and  Bishop  Bricius  of  Moray, 
commissioned  by  the  Pope,  by  the  Earl  granting 
to  the  monks  "the  whole  arable  land  called  Sorules- 
field,  as  held  by  William  Sorules,  west  of  the  Leder 
towards  the  grange  of  the  monks,  and  pasture  for 
fifty  sheep  and  seven  score  of  cows  within  and 
without  the  wood  everywhere  between  the  road 
going  towards  Lauder,  along  the  causey  which  is 
called  Malcholmis  rode,  and  the  Leder,  and  from 
the  bounds  of  Cadisley  as  far  as  Fauhopburne,  re- 
serving to  the  Earl  and  his  heirs  only  the  right  of 
brushwood,  t  Neither  party  was  to  have  within 
these  bounds  any  sheep-cotes,  enclosures,  lodges, 
folds,  or  dwellings  of  any  kind  ;  Sorulesfleld  was 
only  to  be  ploughed,  and  the  goods  of  the  Earl 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  p.  103.  Chron.  de  Mailros,  p.  93. 
Supra  vol.  ii.  p.  46.  The  Church  of  St  Mary's  referred 
to  in  this  grant  stood  half  a-mile  below  the  present  church, 
immediately  under  the  public  road,  where  on  the  estate  of 
Torsonce  a  part  of  one  of  the  walls,  three  feet  thick,  may 
still  be  seen  built  in  with  a  common  dry  stone  dyke.  A 
little  below  it  is  a  very  fine  perennial  spring,  known  by  the 
name  of  the  "  Lady's  Well,"  and  a  huge  stone,  recently  re- 
moved in  forming  the  new  road,  but  now  broken  to  pieces, 
used  to  be  pointed  out  as  impressed  with  the  print  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  on  occasion  of  one  of  her  descents  to  visit  this 
favoured  sanctuary. — New  Statistical  Account  of  Stow,  p.  409. 

t  Acta  Pari.  Scot.,  vol.  i.  pp.  68-70. 


14  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

should  not  pass  the  road,  but  should  every  night 
return  to  Herchildune,  unless  hindered  by  storm  or 
flood."  The  Earl  declined  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
papal  commissioners,  and  afterwards  objected  to 
them  on  personal  grounds.  He  appealed  three 
times  to  Kome.  The  Earl  was  very  unwilling  to 
give  up  his  claim  to  this  ground,  and  it  was  not 
until  his  whole  lands  were  laid  under  interdict  that 
he  submitted.*  The  whole  parish  and  barony  of 
Lessudden  were  in  the  course  of  time  acquired  by 
the  monks  of  Melrose,  excepting  the  lands  of  Elie- 
ston,  which  were  granted  by  John  the  son  of  Yliff, 
to  the  canons  of  Dryburgh.  The  property  of  the 
monks  comprehended  the  lands  of  Lessudden,  Max- 
poffil,  Woodfordhouse,  Hevyside,  Cambestoun, 
Newtown,  and  the  Temple  lands.  The  first  grant 
in  their  favor  was  by  Eichard  de  Londoniis  in  the 
beginning  of  the  12th  century,  of  half  a  plough- 
gate  of  land  called  the  Kirkland;  and  his  son 
Robert,  while  confirming  his  father's  grant,  added 
the  rest  of  the  land  which  lay  adjacent  to  the  said 
half  ploughgate  as  far  as  the  Derestredt,|  and  as 
the  road  descended  obliquely  eastward  as  far  as  the 
torrent.  {  Between  1306  and  1329  John  de  Her- 
miston  granted  to  the  same  monks  the  land  which 
he  held  in  Lessudden.  §  In  1316  Robert  I.  granted 
to  the  same  monks  his  whole  land  and  tenement  of 
Lessuddon,  and  in  1318  renewed  the  grant.  About 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  87-91.  f  Watling  Street. 

t  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  76,  77.  §  lb.  pp.  379-80. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  15 

the  middle  of  the  14th  century  Balph  de  Newyle, 
lord  of  Baby,  granted  to  the  monks  his  whole  land 
or  tenement  in  Lessy-dewyne,  given  him  by  Edward 
Baliol,  to  be  enjoyed  by  them  after  his  decease.* 
In  1409  the  same  monks  obtained  by  excambion 
with  the  lord  of  Grenoch  a  tenement  called  the 
11  Parsounlande."  The  lands  of  Wodefurdhouse 
were,  about  the  end  of  the  14th  century,  bestowed 
by  Eobert  de  Wodeford  on  the  monastery.!  In  the 
beginning  of  the  14th  century  Sir  Laurence  de 
Abernethy  bestowed  the  lands  of  Maxpoffil  on  the 
same  monks. {  The  monks  obtained  the  lands  of 
Cambeston  in  1402  from  James  Fraser,  lord  of 
Ferendrach. 

On  the  31st  day  of  August  1358,  David  II. 
erected  the  lands  in  the  parish  of  Melros  and  Les- 
sudden  into  a  regality  with  exclusive  jurisdiction. 

About  1235  Alexander  II.  granted  to  the  monks 
of  Melros  a  tract  of  land  described  by  the  following 
boundaries : — 

"  Our  whole  waste  from  the  river  Ethryc,  ascending  by 
the  rivulet  of  Tymeye  as  far  as  the  bounds  of  Nigell  dc 
Heryz,  thence  ascending  by  the  watershed  between  Etheric 
and  Glenkerry  to  the  borders  of  Eskedale,  and  thence  as- 
cending westward  by  the  watershed  between  Eskedale  and 
Ethric,  as  far  as  the  mountain  called  Unhende,  and  thence 
eastward  along  the  watershed  between  Anandale  and  the 
forest  to  the  head  of  Kodanoch,  and  thence  eastward  by  the 
watershed  between  the  forest  and  the  lands  of  Thomas  de 
Hay  to  the  head  of  Copthrawcrescleugh,  and  thence  de- 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  437-8.  f  lb.  t  lb.  p.  384. 


16  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

scendingto  the  greater  lake  (St  Mary's),  and  thence  ascend- 
ing by  the  lake  to  its  head,  and  thence  ascending  southward 
to  the  rivulet  of  Wythop,  and  thence  ascending  as  far  as 
Thyrlstangate,  and  along  the  same  road  to  the  head  of 
Wulfhop,  and  thence  descending  by  a  syke  to  the  rivulet  of 
Meikle  Thyrlston,  and  by  the  same  rivulet  descending  to 
the  river  Ethric,  and  by  that  river  ascending  as  far  as 
Tymeith."* 

For  this  grant  the  monks  were  to  render  nothing 
but  their  prayers.  The  monks  in  addition  acquired 
the  lands  of  Bellanden,  and  in  1415  Eobert  Scott, 
the  laird  of  Kankliburn,  ancestor  of  the  Scotts  of 
Buccleuch,  granted  to  the  same  monks  the  lands 
of  Grlenkerry,  reserving  to  himself  the  right  of 
fishing  and  hunting  in  said  lands,  in  exchange  for 
the  lands  of  Bellanden,  over  which  the  monks  re- 
served the  like  rights  of  fishing  and  hunting.  The 
tithes  of  these  lands  were  also  exchanged.  In 
1436,  James  I.,  out  of  regard  it  is  said  to  John  de 
Fogo,  his  confessor,  and  abbot  of  Melros,  erected 
the  lands  of  Ettrick  and  Kodono,  along  with  those 
of  Carrick,  into  a  free  regality,  f  This  part  of  the 
regality  comprehended  the  whole  parish  of  Ettrick. 
The  manor-place  of  the  regality  was  the  town  of 
the  monastery  of  Melros. 

In  addition  to  the  lands  particularly  noticed 
above,  and  which  formed  the  regality  proper  of 
Melros,  the  monks  were  possessed  of  large  posses- 
sions in   several  counties.     In  Eskedale,  Kobert 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  234,  235,  666,  667. 
t  lb.  pp.  483,  484. 


17 

Avenel,  in  the  reign  of  Malcom  IV.,  granted  the 
territory  lying  between  the  junction  of  the  black 
and  white  Esk,  to  the  forest  of  Thimei  and  the 
mountains,  reserviog  to  himself  the  right  of  hunt- 
ing the  wild  boar,  the  deer,  and  the  stag,  and  an 
annuity  of  five  marks.     One  mark  he  remitted,  and 
the  other  four  he  resigned  at  the  death  of  his  wife 
Sybella,  in  consideration  that  the  monks  should 
give  victuals  every  year  to  commemorate  his  en- 
trance into  their  house  and  the  dates  of  the  deaths 
of  himself  and  wife.*    His  son  Gervaise  confirmed 
his  father's  grants,  and  added  a  right  to  build  huts 
in  the  territory.f     Koger,  his  son,  who  succeeded 
him,  not  only  refused  to  confirm  the  grants  of  his 
father  and  grandfather,  but  disputed  the  right  of 
the  monks  to  the  lands,  and  caused  his  servants  to 
pull  down  the  houses  and  level  the  fences.     The 
controversy  was  judicially  settled  by  Alexander  II. 
and  his  barons  at  Lester  in  1235,  to  the  effect  that 
the  monks  had  right  of  pasture,  but  no  right  to 
hunt  with  packs  of  hounds,  nor  bring  others  to 
hunt,  nor  set  traps,  except  to  catch  wolves,  and 
they  were  not  to  cut  down  trees  on  which  hawks 
or  falcons  built  their  nests.J    At  the  death  of 

*  By  his  wife  Sibella  he  had  a  son  Gervaise,  who  succeeded 
him  in  his  estates,  and  a  daughter,  by  whom  William  the  Lion 
had  his  daughter  Isabel,  whom  he  married  to  Robert  Bruce. 

f  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  33-5,  176. 

t  lb.  pp.  179-81.    Acta.  Pari.,  p.  78, 


18  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Koger  in  1243,*  the  great  estates  of  the  family- 
were  carried  by  the  marriage  of  his  only  child  with 
Henry,  son  of  Henry  de  Graham  of  Abercorn  and 
Dalkeith.  While  the  Grahams,  who  belonged  to 
the  English  faction,  were  in  default,  Kobert  I. 
conceded  to  his  faithful  friends  the  monks  all  the 
privileges  of  hunting,  fishing  and  hawking  which 
had  been  so  zealously  guarded  by  the  Avenels. 
The  cognizance  of  offences  committed  within  the 
forest  bounds  was  also  devolved  on  them,  under 
the  provision  that  sentences  of  death  pronounced 
on  malefactors  in  the  court  of  the  abbey  were  to 
be  carried  out  at  the  place  of  doom,  by  the  baillie 
of  the  temporal  lords  of  the  manor.  The  conces- 
sion of  these  privileges  was  confirmed  by  Sir  John 
de  Graham  in  1309-t 

On  the  forfeiture  of  John  de  Sules,  Robert  L,  in 
1321,  granted  to  the  monks  of  Melros  half  of  the 
barony  of  Westerker,  to  be  held  in  free  forest,  which 
property  was  retained  by  them  till  the  Reformation.  J 

Walter,  the  son  of  Alan  the  Stewart,  granted  to 

*  Robert  Avenel  entered  the  monastery  and  died  in  1185. 
His  son  Gervaise  followed  the  example  of  his  father  and 
was  buried  among  the  monks  in  1219.  His  son  Roger  was 
buried  near  his  father.     Chron.  de  Maiiros. 

t  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  73,  340-350.  The  estates  of  Aber- 
corn, Dalkeith,  and  the  property  of  the  Avenels  in  Eskdale, 
went  with  Margaret,  the  daughter  of  this  Sir  John  de 
Graham,  in  marriage  to  William  Douglas  of  Lugton,  in 
Lothian,  the  predecessor  of  the  Douglases  who  became 
Earls  of  Morton.  Hence  the  connection  of  the  family  of 
Douglas  with  the  abbey.        t  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  355-6. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  19 

the  monastery  the  lands  of  Machlin  and  pastures 
in  the  forest  on  the  upper  branches  of  the  river  Ayr, 
extending  to  Clydesdale.  He  gave  them  also  a 
carrucate  of  land  to  improve  in  places  most  con- 
venient. At  the  request  of  the  donor,  King  William 
confirmed  these  grants ;  they  were  also  confirmed 
by  his  son  Alan,  and  grandson  Walter,  and  by 
Alexander  II.  Walter,  the  second  Stewart,  granted 
the  monks  of  Melrose  a  large  tract  of  forest  land  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river  Ayr  in  the  east  of  Kyle, 
extending  from  Dolcarnel  burn,  which  joins  the 
Ayr,  to  Cairntable  hill  in  Lanarkshire,  with  the 
river  Ayr  for  its  northern  boundary.  This  tract  of 
land  had  been  formerly  granted  by  the  Stewart  to 
Allen  Little  for  his  services,  but  he  having  become 
a  convert  to  monastic  life,  and  entered  the  Abbey 
of  Melros,  the  lands  were  bestowed  on  the  monks.* 
Eichard  Waleys,  one  of  the  vassals  of  the  Stewart, 
gave  the  monks  the  lands  of  Barmore  and  Godenoth, 
with  their  pertinents,  which  was  confirmed  by  the 
Stewart.  Alexander  the  Stewart  conferred  on  the 
monks  the  liberty  of  buying  and  selling,  and  taking 
toll,  and  other  privileges,  escheats,  and  profits,  in 
their  judicial  courts,  in  their  lands  of  Mauchlin, 
Cairntable,  Barmore,  and  Godenoth.  f  From  Alex 
ander  III.  the  monks  obtained  a  charter  of  their 
whole  lands  in  Ayrshire,  to  be  held  as  a  free  forests 
with  the  usual  privileges  and  prohibitions.  %  James, 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,   vol.  i.  p.  283.        f  lb.  pp.  283-4. 
%  lb.  pp.  285-8. 


20  THE  HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

IV.  erected  the  whole  of  the  above  lands  into  a 
regality,  with  the  courts  to  be  held  at  Mauchlin.* 
In  1587  these  estates  in  Ayrshire  were  vested  in 
the  king  by  the  general  annexation  act,  and  in  July 
1606  an  act  was  passed  dissolving  the  baronies  of 
Kylesmure  from  the  Abbey  of  Melros,  and  convert- 
ing the  same  into  a  temporal  lordship  to  Hugh, 
Lord  Lowdon,  and  his  heirs. 

Besides  these  lands,  which  formed  the  chief  part 
of  the  possessions  of  the  monks,  they  had  in  Ber- 
wickshire the  lands  of  Eedpath,  which  lay  between 
the  manors  of  Erceldon  and  Bemerside,  granted  by 
Kanulph,  Earl  of  Morray ;  land  in  Gordon  on  the 
south  side  of  Clovendykes ;  three  ploughgates,  two 
oxgangs,  and  three  acres  of  land  in  the  town  of 
Halsinton,  given  by  Kobert  de  Muschamp,  and  also 
Bars-land  and  four  ploughgates  in  Edmonston, 
granted  by  Walter,  the  son  of  Alan  the  Stewart, 
also  twenty-five  acres  in  the  Grange  thereof.  This 
Grange  was  afterwards  rented  at  eight  chalders. 
Hardlaw  and  Hungerigg,  in  the  territory  of  Fogo, 
were  given  by  William,  the  son  of  Patrick,  Earl  of 
Dunbar;  the  lands  of  Milncroft,  in  Horndean, 
from  Sir  William  de  Horndean.  In  the  town 
of  Berwick  the  monks  had  considerable  property  ; 
in  the  south  corner  of  the  Briggate,  next  the  Tweed, 
they  had  a  house  and  land  bestowed  on  them  by 

*  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.  xvi.  p.  86. 


KOXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  21 

William  Lunnok  ;*  Alexander  Joceline  gave  them 
a  house  and  land  in  the  same  street  for  140  marks ; 
Nicholas,  the  weaver,  granted  half  of  his  land  there 
in  pure  alms,  and  sold  to  them  the  other  half  for 
100  merks  sterling,  ten  bolls  of  wheat,  one  chalder 
of  barley,  and  half  a  merk  of  money,  to  him  and 
his  wife  for  their  lives.f  The  monks  purchased 
another  land  in  Briggate.f  Walter  the  Stewart 
gave  a  toft  near  the  Tweed,  and  twenty  acres  in 
the  plain  of  Berwick.  §  Grim,  a  carter  of  Kox- 
burgh,  gave  them  a  toft.||  The  wife  of  Nicholas, 
the  apothecary,  bestowed  on  the  convent  all  her 
land  in  Narrowgate  upon  le  nesse  below  the  town, 
with  all  the  buildings  thereon,  on  condition  that 
they  paid  forty  pence  yearly  to  the  Maison  Dieu, 
and  nine  shillings  to  his  sisters.^"  Thomas  de  Sel- 
kirk gave  them  a  tenement  upon  le  nesse,  and  his 
son  Peter  three  marks  out  of  a  tenement  in  Cross- 
gate;  Alexander  Fraser,  his  house  and  lands  on 
the  south  side  of  Ravensden  Street;**  Adam  Glas- 
gow, ten  acres  of  land  in  Riddlesland,  in  Bonding- 
ton  ;  Moyses,  the  crossbow  maker,  ten  acres  outside 
the  burgh. ft  They  rented  the  land  of  Snoc  for  a 
payment  of  two  shillings  yearly,  and  sixpence  to 
the  constable  of  the  castle.^ 


*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  17-18.  f  lb.  pp.  274-6. 

tlb.p.  164.                  §Ib.  p.  15.  ||  lb.  p.  20. 

f  lb.  Appendix,  p.  691.  **  lb.  pp.  336-8. 
tf  lb.  p.  373.                  Xt  lb.  p.  19. 


22  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

In  Northumberland,  Robert  Muschamp  gave 
part  of  his  lands  and  pastures  in  the  territory  of 
Hethpool,  with  liberty  to  cut  wood  in  the  forest 
for  building.*  For  this  grant  the  convent  paid 
to  the  prior  and  canons  of  Kirkham,  fifty  shillings, 
and  twenty  pence  on  St  James'  day  in  the  church 
of  Newton,  Glendale.  Walter  de  Kilnum  gave 
them  eight  acres  of  arable  land  on  Witelawstele, 
with  pasture  for  twenty-four  sheep,  twelve  oxen, 
and  two  horses. 

The  convent  had  also  land  and  pasturages,  and 
other  easements,  in  various  baronies  in  this  shire, 
which  have  either  been  already  noticed  in  a  pre- 
vious part  of  this  work,  or  will  be  found  in  the 
subsequent  pages,  while  treating  of  the  parishes 
within  which  they  are  situated. 

The  monks  had  the  fishings  on  both  sides  of  the 
Tweed,  from  the  boundaries  of  the  parish  of  Mel- 
rose on  the  west,  to  the  eastern  march.  They  had 
also  fishings  in  other  places,  and  saltworks  in  seve- 
ral shires. 

In  1560,  the  Regality  was  annexed  to  the  crown. 
Nine  years  after,  the  monastery,  with  all  its  lands, 
lordships,  &c,  was  disponed  by  James  VI.  to  James 
Douglas,  as  commendator,  with  power  to  him  to 
set  the  same  in  "  feu  ferme,  long  or  short  takkis, 
siclyk  and  in  the  same  manner  as  gif  he  had  been 
providit  thairto  of  auld  in  the  court  of  Rome."t 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  267-9.      t  Origines  Parocliiales,  p.  284. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  23 

In  1 606  the  commendator  resigned  the  monastery, 
with  all  its  pertinents,  into  the  hands  of  the  king, 
that  it  might  be  erected  into  a  temporal  lordship 
for  the  Earl  of  Morton.  Two  years  after,  the  re- 
signation was  renewed,  that  the  king  might  con- 
fer the  same  use,  and  dispone  the  same  as  he 
might  think  proper.*  In  the  following  year  his  Ma- 
jesty, "  calling  to  remembrance  the  most  excel- 
lent and  singular  service  done  to  his  Majesty  and 
the  whole  realm  of  Scotland,  on  the  fifth  day  of 
August  1 600  years,  by  his  dearest  cousin  and  right 
trusty  and  familiar  servant  John  Viscount  of  Had- 
dington, Lord  Ramsay  of  Barnes,  at  Perth,  within 
the  lodging  of  John,  some  time  Earl  of  Gowrie,  in 
assisting,  defending,  and  revenging  of  his  Majesty 
against  the  said  Earl,  and  the  deceased  Master 
Alexander  Buthven" — erected  the  monastery  and 
the  property  into  a  temporal  lordship  in  favour  of 
the  said  John  Viscount  of  Haddington,  his  heirs 
male  and  assignees,  excepting  therefrom  the  re- 
galities of  the  lands,  the  lands  lying  in  Annandale 
conferred  on  the  Earl  of  Morton,  the  barony  of 
Kylesmure  and  Barmur  in  Ayrshire,  granted  to  the 
Earl  of  Lowdon,  and  the  lands  in  the  shire  of  Had- 
dington bestowed  on  Sir  James  Hay.f  On  the  25th 
of  August  1615,  Viscount  Haddington  was  created 
Lord  Ramsay  of  Melrose,  which  he  resigned  in 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp. 660-2. 

f  Acta  Pari.  Scot.,  vol.  iv«  pp.  461-4. 


24  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

favor  of  his  brother  Sir  George  Kamsay  of  Dal- 
housie,  who  got  the  title  changed  to  Lord  Ramsay 
of  Dalhousie.  It  would  appear  that  John  Viscount 
Haddington  had  sold  the  lands  of  Melros  at  the 
time  of  his  resignation  of  the  title  in  favor  of  his 
brother,  for  in  1618  Sir  Thomas  Hamilton,  who 
had  been  previously  raised  to  the  peerage  by  the 
title  of  Binning  and  Byres,  was  possessed  of  the 
lands  and  baronies  belonging  to  the  monastery,  and 
who  was  in  1619  created  Earl  of  Melrose.  The 
title  of  Viscount  Haddington  becoming  extinct  at 
the  death  of  the  Earl  of  Holderness  in  1625,  the 
Earl  of  Melros  obtained  a  patent  suppressing  his 
own  title  and  creating  him  Earl  of  Hadding- 
ton in  1627.  He  died  without  issue  in  1637. 
After  the  death  of  the  Earl  of  Holderness,  the  pro- 
perty reverted  to  the  crown ;  the  patronage  of  the 
church  and  other  rights  were  granted  to  Walter 
Scott,  Earl  of  Buccleuch.  About  the  beginning  of 
the  18th  century  his  descendants  purchased  the  re- 
mainder of  the  abbey  lands  included  in  the  Lord- 
ship of  Melrose.  At  the  abolition  of  heritable 
jurisdictions,  the  Lady  Isabella  Scott  obtained 
£1200  as  a  composition  for  the  loss  of  the  office  of 
bailiary  of  the  regality  of  Melrose,  which  had  been 
hereditary  in  her  family. 

The  House  of  Mailros. — Although  it  is  not 
necessary  in  this  place  to  enter  upon  an  enquiry  as 
to  the  exact  period  when  Christianity  was  intro- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  25 

duced  into  the  Island,  there  are  good  grounds  for 
believing  that  before  the  expiry  of  the  first  century 
many  of  the  natives  of  Britain  were  persuaded  to 
turn  to  Christ  and  be  baptised.  Little  did  the 
Roman  Claudius  imagine,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
second  triumph,  when  Caractacus,  his  wife,  daugh- 
ter, and  brothers  were  brought  forth  and  exhibited 
to  the  Roman  people  as  the  captives  of  his  sword, 
that  these  persons  would  be  the  means  of  carrying 
the  gospel  into  their  native  land,  or  that  a  son  of 
the  captive  would  become  a  bishop  of  Rome,* 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  star  of  Bethlem 
shed  its  influence  on  this  country  about  the  time 
mentioned;  and  notwithstanding  the  early  Chris- 
tian fathers, "  who  neither  sought  nor  loved  anything 
of  this  world/'  were  sometimes  beaten,  and  at  other 
times  dragged  through  the  streets,  they  founded 
churches  and  appointed  priests  and  deacons.  But 
the  lamp  which  had  never  ceased  to  burn  during 
the  period  of  the  Roman  occupation  was  nearly  ex- 
tinguished by  the  Saxon  hordes,  which  over-ran  the 
country  after  the  Romans  were  called  away  to  de- 

*It  is  thought  by  many  writers  who  have  investigated  the 
subject,  that  Linus,  Bishop  of  Rome,  was  Cyllin  the  son  of 
Caractacus,  who  was  carried  to  Rome  with  his  father,  and 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  the  person  mentioned  in  the 
second  epistle  of  Paul  to  Timothy,  written  during  his  second 
imprisonment : — "  Eubulus  greeteth  thee,  and  Pudens,  and 
Linus,  and  Claudia,  and  all  the  brethren." — Chapter  iv.  v. 
21. 


26  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

fend  their  own  land.  While  the  religion  of  Christ 
was  persecuted  on  the  banks  of  the  Tweed,  churches 
were  formed  and  monasteries  founded  in  Ireland. 
In  that  country,  Columba,  born  of  a  family  of  high 
rank,  went  forth  in  563  to  save  and  civilize  the 
Caledonian  people.  The  islet  of  Iona,  near  to  Mull, 
was  conferred  on  him  by  his  relation  Conal,  the 
(Scottish  King,  and  on  which  he  settled  with  twelve 
disciples.  With  their  own  hands  they  erected  huts 
and  built  a  church.  They  lived  under  strict  dis- 
cipline, and  worked  with  their  hands,  and  spent 
much  time  in  reading  the  Scriptures.  His  estab- 
lishment once  formed,  Columba  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  conversion  of  the  Picts,  who  were  at 
that  time  governed  by  Bridei,  whom  he  persuaded 
to  believe  in  the  truths  of  Christianity.  The  in- 
fluence of  the  king  aided  Columba  and  his  disciples 
in  their  difficult  and  hazardous  task,  and  under  his 
protection  they  journeyed  throughout  the  kingdom 
teaching  the  people.  Ere  long  monasteries  were 
established  in  every  part  of  the  Caledonian  country, 
from  which  were  sent  out  a  succession  of  pastors 
to  inform  the  ignorant.  After  a  life  of  active 
benevolence,  Columba  died  on  the  9th  of  June  587, 
"  leaving  his  monastery  firmly  settled,  a  people  con- 
verted by  his  labours  from  Paganism  to  Christi- 
anity, and  a  name  for  the  celebration  of  every  age/'* 
When  the  death  of  Ethelfrith  opened  to  Edwine 

*  Caledonia,  vol.  i.  p.  323. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  27 

the  whole  of  Northumberland,  the  sons  of  his  pre- 
decessor were  driven  into  exile.  They  found  a  re- 
fuge in  Iona,  where  they  were  instructed  in  the 
religion  of  Christ,  and  taught  the  Gaelic  of  the 
Scoto-Irish  monastery.  In  the  meantime  Edwine 
of  Northumbria  had  been  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith  by  Paulinus,  who  prosecuted  the  work  of 
conversion  with  great  zeal,  not  in  temples  raised  by 
man's  hands,  but  in  the  open  air.  On  one  occasion, 
while  Edwine  lived  with  his  court  at  Adge-frin* 
he  was  engaged  catechizing  and  baptizing  from 
morning  to  night  during  thirty-six  days.  The  rite 
of  baptism  was  administered  in  the  open  air  in 
the  waters  of  the  river  Glen.f  On  account  of 
Edwine  having  changed  the  old  religion,  a  league 
was  formed  between  Penda,  who  had  succeeded  to 
the  throne  of  Mercia,  and  Caedwalla,  king  of  the 
Britons,  to  make  war  upon  Edwine.  A  battle  took 
place  at  Hatfield  Cross,  in  Yorkshire,  on  the  12th 
October  633,  which  ended  in  a  complete  triumph 
to  the  confederates.  Edwine  and  his  son  Osfrid 
were  slain,  with  the  greater  part  of  their  followers. 
On  the  death  of  Edwine  the  sons  of  Ethelfrith 


*  Yeavering,  near  Wooler. 

f  This  Paulinus  is  thought  to  have  been  the  son  of  Urien 
of  Reged  (Gedworth),  who  was  the  greatest  opponent  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  power  in  Northumberland.  He  was  sent  by 
Pope  Gregory  to  convert  the  people  of  Kent,  and  was  se- 
lected by  the  Kentish  king  to  accompany  his  daughter, 
Queen  Ethelberga,  to  Northumberland. 


28  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

returned  to  their  own  country,  where  the  eldest, 
Eanfrid,  obtained  the  throne  of  Bernicia,  of  which 
he  was  the  true  heir  of  Ida.     Deira  was  seized  by 
Osric,  the  son  of  Elfric,  and  nephew  of  Alia,  to  the 
prejudice  of  Yffi  the  true  heir.     Both  professed 
Christianity,  having  been  baptised  by  Paulinus, 
but  on  their  accession  to  the  thrones  of  their  re- 
spective kingdoms  they  repudiated  the  faith,  and 
returned  to  the  old  religion,  in  the  hope  of  conciliat- 
ing the  favour  of  Penda.     They  were  both  slain 
by  Caedwalla,  who  seized  their  kingdoms,  and  ruled 
over  them  with  great  cruelty.     This  tyrant  was 
entirely  defeated  by  Oswald,  on  the  field  of  Dilston, 
and  who  was  declared  king  of  both  the  provinces 
of  Northumberland.     The  success  of  the  day  was 
ascribed  to  the  direct  interposition  of  the  Deity  in 
answer  to  the  prayers  of  Oswald,  who,  before  leav- 
ing his  position,  erected  with  his  own  hands  a 
cross,  around  which  he  and  his  whole  army  kneeled 
and  offered  up  their  united  prayers  for  success  to 
their  cause.     Oswald's  first  care  on  ascending  the 
throne  was  the  instruction  of  his  people  in  Chris- 
tian truth.     He  naturally  applied  to  Iona,  and  a 
monk  named  Corman  was  sent,  but  who,  failing  to 
make  any  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  Berni- 
cians,  returned  to  the  monastery.     On  the  monks 
considering  his  report,  one  of  their  number,  Aidan, 
who  possessed  a  gentle  disposition,  and  highly 
accomplished,  offered  himself  to  the  wishes  of  the 
king.     He  was  duly  consecrated  for  the  mission, 


KOXBUKGHSHIRE,   ETC.  2SJ 

and  hastened  to  Northumbria.  Oswald's  chief  re- 
sidence being  at  Bamborough,  the  site  of  Aidan's 
bishopric  was  fixed  at  Lindisfarne  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood.  The  country  being  wholly 
inhabited  by  the  Saxons,  who  did  not  understand 
the  Gaelic  tongue,  and  Aidan  not  speaking  the 
language  of  the  people,  he  preached  to  them  in  the 
Gaelic,  and  Oswald  acted  as  interpreter  between 
them.  The  blessing  of  God  accompanied  Aidan 
and  other  teachers  from  the  same  school.  The 
subjects  of  the  pious  king  were  converted  to  the 
Christian  faith,  and  "  churches  were  built  in  seve- 
ral places  ;  the  people  joyfully  flocked  to  hear  the 
word  ;  land  and  money  were  provided  by  the  king's 
bounty  for  building  monasteries  ;  and  the  English 
were,  by  their  Scotch  teachers,  instructed  in  the 
rules  and  observances  of  regular  discipline,  for  the 
most  of  the  teachers  were  monks."  Besides  the 
monastery  of  Lindisfarne,  Aidan  established  the 
house  of  Mailros  in  636,  within  the  Episcopate  of 
Lindisfarne.  Coldingham,  Tyningham,  and  Aber- 
corn,  were  founded  not  long  after  within  the  same 
Episcopate,  and  each  possessed  lands  and  labourers, 
parochial  rights  previously  unknown  in  Scotland. 

The  House  of  Mailros  was  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  Tweed,  on  the  sloping  sides  of  a 
peninsula,  almost  enclosed  by  a  reduplication  of 
the  river.  The  scenery  around  is  full  of  beauty. 
On  the  west,  the  Eildon  Hills  rise  to  the  height  of 
1400  above  the  sea  level,  and  the  opposite  banks 


30  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

are  high,  rocky,  and  overhung  with  wood.  On  the 
north  the  Leder  pours  its  waters  into  the  Tweed,  a 
short  distance  from  the  site  of  the  monastery,  and 
on  the  east  the  river  rolls  between  high  banks 
round  the  heights  of  Bemerside,  and  the  peninsula 
on  which  the  ruins  of  Dryburgh  Abbey  stand. 
The  nature  of  the  ground  on  every  side  would 
afford  perfect  shelter  from  the  storms  of  winter.  A 
finer  situation  for  a  monastery  could  not  be  im- 
agined. 

The  first  Abbot  was  Fata,  one  of  twelve  boys 
of  English  parentage,  selected  by  Aidan  himself, 
and  educated  for  the  ministry  in  a  school  which 
he  founded  to  secure  a  succession  of  well-qualified 
instructors.  Under  Eata,  St  Boisil  or  Boswell  was 
prior,  a  man  of  great  piety  and  spiritual  gifts.  It 
was  in  651,  and  while  these  holy  men  held  office, 
that  the  famed  Cuthbert  became  an  inmate  of  the 
monastery  of  Mailros.  He  was  born  of  parents  of 
humble  circumstances,  who  died  when  he  was  eight 
years  old.  The  date  of  his  birth  cannot  be  known 
with  certainty,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  was  born 
in  637.  He  used,  as  a  boy,  to  tend  sheep  on  the 
mountains  near  Mailros.  On  one  occasion,  while 
herding  a  flock  on  some  distant  hills,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  prayer  while  the  other  shepherds  were 
sleeping,  "  he  saw  a  long  stream  of  light  break 
through  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  in  the  midst 
of  it  a  company  of  the  heaveniy  host  descended  to 
the  earth,  and  having  received  among  them  a  spirit 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  31 

of  surpassing  brightness,  returned  without  delay  to 
their  heavenly  home."  When  the  morning  came 
it  appeared  that  Bishop  Aidan  had  died  at  the  very 
moment  of  the  vision.  He  determined  forthwith 
to  enter  into  a  monastery,  and  delivered  over  the 
sheep  he  was  feeding  to  their  owners.  The  repu- 
tation of  the  prior  induced  him  to  select  Mailros  as 
his  abode.  On  arriving  at  the  monastery,  says 
Bede,*  the  prior  was  at  the  door  and  remarked  to 
the  bystanders,  "  Behold  a  man  of  the  Lord.  Be- 
hold an  Israelite  in  whom  there  is  no  guile."  On 
entering  the  monastery,  Cuthbert  "  conformed  to 
the  rules  of  the  place  with  the  same  zeal  as  others, 
and  sought  to  surpass  them  by  observing  stricter 
discipline ;  and  in  reading,  writing,  watching,  and 
prayer,  he  fairly  outdid  them  all.f  Boisil  loved 
Cuthbert  for  his  innocence  and  uprightness,  and 
from  him  he  received  a  knowledge  of  the  holy  scrip  - 
tures  and  the  example  of  good  works.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  years  King  Aldfred  granted  to 
Abbot  Eata  a  tract  of  country  called  Inrhipum 
(Kipon)  on  which  to  build  a  monastery.  After 
the  house  was  built,  Eata  left  Mailros  for  that  place, 
taking  with  him  a  number  of  monks,  among  whom 
was  Cuthbert,  who  was  appointed  to  the  office  of 
receiving  strangers.  While  guest-master,  he  is  said 
by  Bede  to  have  entertained  an  angel.  J     But  the 

*  Bede's  Life  of  Cuthbert,  p.  225. 
f  lb.  p.  227. 
t  lb  p.  229. 


32  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Mailros  colony  did  not  remain  long  at  Ripon,  hav- 
ing been  expelled  therefrom  by  Aldfred,  and  the 
monastery  given  to  others,  because  the  abbot  ad- 
hered to  the  Scottish  custom  about  the  observance 
of  Easter.  In  664  the  Prior  Boisil  died  of  the 
pestilence  which  raged  in  Britain,  and  was  buried 
at  Mailros.  Cuthbert  succeeded  him  as  prior  of 
Mailros.*  After  having  been  thirteen  years  a 
monk  he  was  transferred  by  Eata  to  Lindisfarne 
to  fill  the  office  of  prior,  and  to  teach  the  rules  of 
monastic  perfection,  and  illustrate  it  by  the  example 
of  his  virtue.  By  a  regulation  made  by  Cuthbert, 
women  were  forbidden  to  enter  into  his  church,  f 
Several  reasons  have  been  given  for  this  rule,  one 
of  which  is  that  it  was  made  in  consequence  of  the 
irregularities  which  had  taken  place  in  the  double 
monastery  of  Coldingham.  But  it  seems  that  St 
Columba  even  exceeded  St  Cuthbert  in  his  hatred 
to  women;  for  it  is  said  he  detested  all  cattle  on 
their  account,  and  would  not  permit  a  cow  to  come 
within  sight  of  the  monastery  walls,  because  "  where 

*  In  one  of  the  niches  at  the  side  of  the  east  window  of 
the  choir  of  Melros  Abbey  is  a  figure  of  St  Cuthbert  holding 
the  head  of  King  Oswald. 

t  This  rule  was  relaxed  at  a  later  period,  and  females  were 
allowed  to  enter  Durham  Cathedral  as  far  as  a  boundary  line 
of  blue  marble  in  the  pavement  running  across  the  chancel 
from  pillar  to  pillar  opposite  the  porch.  In  the  midst  of 
this  boundary  line  was  a  cross  of  blue  marble,  and  women 
were  not  allowed  to  pass  this  cross.  The  space  outside  this 
cross  was  called  the  Galilee  of  the  church. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  33 

there  is  a  cow  there  must  be  a  woman,  and  where 
there  is  a  woman  there  must  be  mischief ."  After 
Cuthbert  was  elected  to  the  bishopric,  he  had  an 
interview  with  Bishop  Eata  at  Mailros. 

The  next  abbot  of  Mailros  of  whom  there  is  any 
notice  is  Odunald.  Ethelwold,  a  disciple  of  St 
Cuthbert,  was  abbot  from  696  to  724.  Thevuan 
is  thought  to  have  been  the  next  abbot. 

The  monastery  was  burned  by  Kenneth  II.  in 
one  of  his  excursions  into  Lothian  in  839.     It 
must  have  been  rebuilt  before  875,  as  in  that  year 
it  became  for  a  time  the  resting-place  of  the  body 
of  St  Cuthbert,  when  removed  from  its  sepulchre 
at  Lindisfarne  for  fear  it  should  be  violated  by  the 
Danes.    According  to  the  legend,  the  spirit  becom- 
ing restless,  the  body  was  floated  down  the  Tweed 
in  a  stone  coffin  to  Tillmouth.*    William  Doug- 
las was  abbot  in  the  beginnning  of  the  11th  cen- 
tury.    He  was  confessor  to  the   Queen   of  Mal- 
colm II.     In  1020  Elfrid,  one  of  the  priests  of 
Durham,  visited  Mailros,  and  having  disinterred 
the  remains  of  St  Boisil,  carried  them  away  and 
placed  them  in  a  shrine  near  that  of  his  beloved 
pupil,  St  Cuthbert,  in   Durham.      Turgot,  who 
was  prior  of  Durham  for  twenty-one  years,  and  who 
wrote  the  work  which  passes  under  the  name  of 
"  Simeon  of  Durham,"  from  1073  to  1075  resided 
with  a  few  brethren  at  Mailros,  which  they  reluc- 
tantly left  under  a  threat  of  excommunication  ot 

*  Vide  vol.  iii.  pp.  168-70. 


34  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Bishop  Walcher  for  Monkwearrnouth.  Of  this 
house  few  notices  are  seen  after  this  time,  but  it  is 
thought  that  King  Edgar,  the  father  of  David  I., 
when  he  rebuilt  the  monastery  of  Coldingham  in 
1098,  made  a  grant  of  it  to  that  house.  From  this 
time  Mailros  continued  a  dependency  of  Colding- 
ham till  1136,  when  David  I.  exchanged  the  Church 
of  St  Mary  of  Berwick  for  it,  and  annexed  it  to  his 
house  of  Melros,  which  he  founded  about  two  miles 
farther  up  the  Tweed.  The  Chapel  of  Mailros  was 
destroyed  by  the  English  during  the  reign  of 
Kobert  I.  In  1321  the  Bishop  of  Galloway  granted 
an  indulgence  of  forty  days  to  all  persons  making 
a  pilgrimage  to  the  chapel  of  St  Cuthbert,  or  con- 
tributing to  its  rebuilding.*  Between  1417-31 
Pope  Martin  also  granted  an  indulgence  of  seven 
years,  and  as  many  forty  days,  to  all  who  should 
visit  the  chapel  or  contribute  to  its  support.  It 
was  greatly  resorted  to  by  devout  pilgrims,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  the  Girthgate  derived  its  name 
from  being  the  track  formed  by  the  feet  of  pilgrims 
coming  from  the  north  to  this  holy  shrine,  and  not 
travellers  going  northward.  The  road  came  down 
the  valley  of  Alwyn,  and  crossed  the  river  Tweed 
by  a  bridge,  the  ruins  of  which  was  seen  by  Gor- 
don in  the  beginning  of  the  last  century.  Chalmers 
thinks  that  the  track  was  made  by  travellers  going 
north  to  the  well-known  sanctuary  belonging  to  the 

*  Harl.  MS.  3960,  folio  108.     History  of  St  Cuthbert, 
p.  235. 


35 

hospital  at  Soltra,  but  I  think  he  is  mistaken.     The 
privilege  of  sanctuary  was  only  occasionally  required, 
and  the  situation  of  Soltra  is  such  as  to  make  it 
seldom  used  ;   besides,  on  the  south,  both  Mailros 
and  the  Stow  of  Wedale  had  privilege  of  sanctuary, 
and  it  is  not  probable  that  persons  from  the  south 
would  have  passed  these  famed  places  and  gone 
north  to  Soltra,  a  distance  of  many  miles.     Girth 
is  a  corruption  of  Garth,  and  its  meaning  is  not 
confined  to  a  sanctuary.     The  place  where  the 
chapel  stood  is  still  called  "  the  Chapel  Knoll" 
When  the  Rev.  Adam  Milne  wrote  his  description 
of  Melrose  parish  in  1743,  the  foundation  of  a  wall 
which  had  been  built  across  the  narrowest  part  of 
the  peninsula,  so  as  to  protect  the  convent,  was  still 
to  be  seen.     About  the  middle  of  this  wall  was  the 
entrance  to  the  monastery,  where  stood  a  house 
called  Redhouse,  which  is  conjectured  to  have  been 
the  dwelling  of  the  porter.      In  1859,  while  the 
workmen  were  digging  the  foundation  for  a  build- 
ing on  the  east  of  the  farm  steading  of  Broomhill, 
adjacent  to  the  monastery,  they  came  upon  the  re- 
mains of  an  old  wall  or  building,  in  which  were 
found  a  small  rounded  column  5J  inches  diameter, 
and  a  moulded  archstone.     Several  portions  of 
small  circular  shafts  or  columns  of  the  same  char- 
acter were  observed.      The  archstone  shows  the 
"  bowtel  and  fillet  moulding,  then  a  hollow  and  a 
round,  and  contains  in  the  hollow  a  series  of  the 
dogtooth  ornaments  of  what  has  been  called  the 


36  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

first  pointed  style  of  Gothic  architecture.  The 
moulded  stone  has  manifestly  been  part  of  an  arch  ; 
and  both  are  of  interest  from  having  been  found  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Mailros,  as  in  these 
stones  we  have  probably  a  key,  and  perhaps  the 
only  existing  one,  to  the  style  of  architecture  of  the 
church,  from  the  ruins  of  which  they  may  have 
been  brought  as  building  materials  at  some  early 
period."*  In  1606  Kobert  Ormiston  was  possessed 
of  the  lands  of  Auld  Melrose,  as  well  within  as  be- 
yond the  ditch.f  In  the  beginning  of  the  century 
it  was  the  property  of  William  Elliot  Lockhart. 
It  now  belongs  to  the  family  of  Fairholme. 

Melros. — This  house  was  founded  by  David  I. 
The  building  was  begun  in  1136,  and  in  1146  de- 
dicated in  honour  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary.  A 
colony  of  Benedictine  monks,  called  Cistercians, 
was  brought  to  it  from  Kivaulx  in  the  north  Bid- 
ing of  Yorkshire.  The  situation  of  this  house  is 
not  to  be  compared  with  the  older  house,  and  it  is 
probable,  had  David  been  possessed  of  Mailros,  he 
would  have  placed  the  Cistercians  there,  in  pre- 
ference to  any  other  place.  The  ruins  of  the  abbey, 
which  present  the  finest  specimens  of  Christian 
architecture  ever  raised  in  this  kingdom,  are  not 
the  ruins  of  the  house  founded  by  the  pious  David, 
but  of  the  church  which  was  begun  to  be  built 

*  Proceedings  of  the  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  vol.  ii.  p. 
177,  Notice  by  Dr  John  Alexander  Smith, 
t  Retours,  No.  40. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  37 

after  the  war  of  independence.  The  first  erection 
was  wholly  destroyed  by  the  English,  under  Edward 
II.  in  1322.  Robert  L  gave  £2000  towards  the 
rebuilding  of  it ;  but  it  is  believed  that  the  house 
was  in  an  unfinished  state  when  it  was  again  de- 
stroyed in  1544,  and  as  the  Reformation  was  then 
progressing,  it  was  not  restored.*  The  domestic 
buildings  were  to  the  north  of  the  church,  part  of 
them  standing  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  which  at 
that  time  had  its  course  near  the  convent  f  Adam 
Milne,  who  was  admitted  minister  of  Melrose  in 
1711,  says,  that  in  his  day  stood  an  oven  near  the 
mill  of  the  abbey,  consisting  of  several  stories  of 
ovens  above  others,  as  high  as  the  steeple  in  the 
church,  and  built  with  as  fine  hewn  stones."  The 
same  authority  states,  that  "  in  ditching  any  place 
within  the  convent,  particularly  near  the  church, 
the  foundations  of  houses  have  been  discovered/' 
but  the  ruins  of  only  one  of  these  were  to  be  seen, 
called  Chisholm's  Tower.  The  whole  convent,  with 
its  "  buildings,  and  gardens,  and  other  conve- 
niences, were  all  enclosed  by  a  high  wall  about  a 
mile  in  circuit."  It  would  rather  appear  that  at 
the  time  of  the  last  destruction  of  the  abbey,  the 
wall  referred  to  by  Milne  had  not  been  finished,  as 
a  part  of  it  was  met  with  some  years  since,  in  dig- 


*  Vide  vol  i.  pp.  308-324,  for  a  description  of  the  ruins 
of  the  abbey  church. 

f  The  Tweed  at  one  time  ran  on  the  southside  of  Mill- 
mount.    The  old  channel  can  yet  be  traced. 


38  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

ging  the  foundations  of  houses  between  the  West 
Port  house  and  the  chambers  of  Messrs  Freer  and 
Dunn,  running  in  the  direction  of  the  George 
Hotel.  Of  these  buildings  scarce  a  vestige  remains, 
and  "  the  fairest  daughter  of  the  Tweed  has  become 
now,  in  her  desolate  magnificence,  but  a  sad  relic  of 
her  former  beauty."*  The  gardens  of  the  abbey 
must  have  been  extensive,  as  each  monk — and  the 
number  varied  from  27  to  100 — had  a  private  gar- 
den for  his  own  use  and  pleasure.  About  1534, 
the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  general  chapter 
of  Cistercians  at  Cisteaux  to  carry  out  the  reform 
specified  in  the  roll  of  the  visitor  sent  by  the  chapter 
in  the  previous  year,  allowed  the  monks  to  retain 
their  private  gardens,  provided  they  were  all  made 
of  equal  extent,  and  a  common  passage  from  one  to 
another,  the  productions  of  each  to  be  applied  to 
the  common  use  of  the  convent.  An  attempt  was 
also  made  to  reform  their  habits  of  living.  It  seems, 
about  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  the  monks 
of  Melros  had  forgot  their  vows  of  poverty  and 
manual  labour,  for  at  that  time  the  abbots  are 
charged  with  living  in  magnificent  halls,  keeping 
luxuriant  tables,  wearing  costly  garments,  and  at- 
tended by  pages  of  good  families  in  rich  liveries; 
the  monks  with  keeping  horses,  and  going  about  in 
public ;  living  separately,  buying  their  own  clothes 
of  the  finest  materials,  and  dividing  the  common 

*  History  of  St  Cuthbert,  p.  237. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC. 


39 


dormitory  into  separate  chambers.  But  it  was 
found  impossible  for  the  chapter  to  revive  the  old 
practice,  and  put  a  stop  to  the  abuses  of  religion, 
which  was  the  subject  of  general  animadversion. 


The  abbots  were : — 

1.  Kichard, 

2.  Waltheof, 

3.  William, 

4.  Joceline, 

5.  Lawrence, 

6.  Ernauld, 

7.  Eeiner,    . 

8.  Ralph,    . 

9.  William, 

10.  Patrick,  . 

11.  Adam,    . 

1 2.  Hugh  de  Clippeston 

13.  William  de  Curcy, 

14.  Ealph,     . 

15.  Adam  de  Harkaris, 

16.  Matthew, 

17.  Adam  de  Maxton, 

18.  John  de  Ederham, 

19.  Eobert  de  Keldeleth, 

20.  Patrick  de  Selkirk,  . 


1136-1149. 
1148-1159. 
1159-1170. 
1170-1175. 
1175-1178. 
1179-1189. 
1189-1194. 
1194-1202. 
1202-1206. 
1206-1207. 
1207-1214. 
1214-1315. 
1215-1216. 
1216-1219. 
1219-1224. 
1246-1261. 
1261-1267. 
1267-1268. 
1268-1273. 
1273. 


After  1273  the  names  of  several  are  lost,  and 
though  the  following  names  are  known  to  have  been 
abbots  at  the  time  mentioned,  the  exact  dates  of 
their  election  are  not  recorded — 


40 


THE  HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 


William  de  Foghu, 

1310-1329. 

Thomas  de  Soltre, 

1338. 

William, 

1342-1369. 

David  Benyn, 

1409-1423. 

John  Fogo,   . 

1425-1433 

Kichard  Lundy,     . 

1440-1442 

Andrew  Hunter,    . 

1448. 

William, 

1460. 

Richard, 

1473-1476 

John  Fraser, 

*    *    *    * 

Bernard, 

1490-1499 

William, 

1504. 

Andrew  Durie, 

1527. 

James  Stewart, 

1541. 

In  1558  Cardinal  Guise  became  commendator  of 
Melros  on  the  death  of  James  Stewart  in  1588. 
In  1564  Michael  was  commendator.  On  the  for- 
feiture of  the  Earl  of  Bothwell  the  title  of  com- 
mendator, as  well  as  the  usufruct,  was  conferred  on 
James  Douglas,  afterwards  Earl  of  Morton.  This 
commendator,  according  to  Milne,  took  down  a 
great  part  of  the  convent  "  for  the  building  of  a 
fine  house  for  himself  and  lady,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing, and  his  name  and  his  lady's  on  one  of  the 
windows,  anno  1590/'* 

The  monks  of  Melros  kept  a  chronicle  of  local 
or  general  events  of  importance  that  happened 
within  their  knowledge.     It  begins  in  735  and 


*  Milne's  Description  of  Melrose  Parish. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  41 

ends  in  1275.  The  early  portion  of  it  is  imagined 
to  be  the  work  of  a  monk  of  Melros,  who  was 
afterwards  abbot  of  Dundrainan,  which  was  colon- 
ized with  monks  from  Melros  in  1142. 

The  ground  plan  of  the  church  is  in  the  form  of 
a  Latin  cross,  consisting  of  nave  and  aisles,  and 
choir  and  aisles.  The  elevation  consists  of  nave, 
transepts,  and  choir,  with  a  central  tower.  It 
stands  due  east  and  west.  The  proportions  are — 
nave,  208  feet  by  79,  including  aisles ;  transept,  130 
feet  by  34 ;  choir,  50  feet.  The  tower  is  84  feet 
in  height.* 

Many  fine  views  may  be  obtained  of  the  ruins. 
But  "  if  asked  by  a  pilgrim  who,  through  love  of 
the  monuments-  of  England's  ancient  faith,  and 
through  devotion  to  a  spot  hallowed  by  its  associa- 
tions with  St  Cuthbert,  contemplates  a  visit  to  the 
abbey  church  at  Melros,  under  what  aspect  it  is 
seen  the  best  ?  the  writer  would  say,  if  further 
testimony  be  wanting  to  the  poet,  when  the  dim 
shadows  of  night  have  shut  in  obscurity  its  minor 
beauties,  and  when  the  bright  moon  silvers  the 
columns  and  arches,  and  peeps  in  between  the  net- 
work of  the  windows — then  the  ruin  is  sublime/'t 

The  Town  of  the  Regality  of  the  monastery  has 
no  history  separate  from  the  abbey.     It  is  said  by 

*  The  ruins  have  been  beautifully  illustrated  by  Billings, 
and  a  number  of  good  wood  engravings  of  parts  of  the  ruins 
appear  in  Mr  Wade's  History  of  Melrose,  from  drawings 
taken  by  Mr  John  Smith,  Architect,  Darnick. 

t  History  of  St  Cuthbert,  p.  241. 


42  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Mr  Milne,  that  the  name  of  the  town  was  Little 
Fordell  previous  to  the  founding  of  the  monastery ; 
but  I  have  not  met  with  any  notice  of  this  name 
earlier  than  1648.  The  name  is  probably  derived 
from  the  rivulet  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  base 
of  the  Eildons,  and  flows  down  a  small  dell  through 
the  town  into  the  abbey  mill-lade,  being  passed  at 
this  place.  The  name  would  describe  the  little 
ford  or  passage  at  the  dell,  as  distinguished  from 
the  greater  ford  by  which  the  Tweed  was  passed 
to  the  north  of  the  monastery,  or  it  may  be  read 
the  little  rivulet  which  flows  down  the  dell.  It  is 
not  improbable  that  the  name  was  applied  to  the 
place  before  the  Anglo-Saxon  was  spoken  on 
Tweedside.  In  comparatively  recent  times  the 
flat  land  between  the  old  town  and  Weirhill  was 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  year  covered  with  water. 
Within  the  last  forty  years  the  town  has  been 
continually  receiving  additions,  which  add  to  its 
beauty  as  well  as  extent.  I  remember  the  time 
when  not  a  house  stood  to  the  west  of  the  West 
Port  house,  and  when  the  latter  dwelling  was 
deemed  the  principal  house  in  the  town.  In  it 
General  Lesley  slept  the  night  before  the  battle  of 
Philliphaugh.  The  date  1635  is  on  the  lintel  of 
the  door.  The  town  now  extends  from  Priorbank 
on  the  east,  to  the  town  of  Dernwic  on  the  west, 
fully  a  mile  in  length.  In  the  old  town  there  are 
a  number  of  good  houses.  In  the  market-place 
stands  a  cross  about  20  feet  high,  on  the  apex  of 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  43 

which  are  the  remains  of  a  unicorn  holding  the 
royal  arms  of  Scotland,  and  a  mallet  and  rose,  with 
the  date  1642.  This  is  not  the  date  of  the  cross, 
which  owes  its  existence  to  a  period  coeval  with 
the  monastery,  at  least  not  later  than  the  days  of 
David  II.  It  was  the  cross  of  the  regality,  at 
which  the  laws  were  read,  proclamations  made, 
and  refractory  parties  cited  to  attend  the  courts  of 
the  abbot,  who  had  the  power  of  Justiciary  and 
Sheriff.  From  the  cross  also  a  monk  preached, 
and  to  support  such  service  a  grant  of  land  was 
annexed,  commonly  called  the  Corse  Rig,  The 
Corse  Kig  of  Melrose  runs  from  the  meeting  of  the 
Newstead  and  St  BoswelFs  roads  up  to  the  base 
of  the  Eildons,  and  is  marked  2434  on  the  Ordnance 
Map.  The  house  next  to  where  the  British  Linen 
Company  have  their  office  was  the  flesh-market  of 
the  burgh,  and  the  cleeks  from  which  the  carcases 
were  suspended  were  to  be  seen  in  the  wall  before 
it  was  taken  down  to  make  room  for  the  new  build- 
ings. On  the  south  side  of  the  market-place  an 
elegant  corn  exchange  is  erected  on  the  spot  where 
a  number  of  old  tenements  formerly  stood.*  The 
new  town  of  Melrose  is  built  on  the  Weirhill,  and 
westward  along  the  roadside  to  Dernwic.  The 
houses  are  well  and  substantially  built,  with  the 

*  One  of  these  houses  had  the  appearance  of  considerable 
antiquity,  but  on  being  taken  down,  it  was  obvious  that  it 
had  been  built  with  stones  taken  from  the  abbey. 


44  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

grounds  around  tastefully  laid  out.  Here  the  Free 
Church  has  a  very  elegant  place  of  worship,  erected 
on  the  top  of  the  bank  next  to  the  old  town.  At 
the  meeting  of  the  roads  to  the  west,  the  Scots 
Episcopalians  have  a  church,  and  adjoining  a  large 
and  commodious  parsonage.  Near  to  this  place 
formerly  stood  the  High  Cross  of  the  abbey,  and, 
in  its  vicinity,  an  old  thatched  house  and  garden 
called  Cockptstol. 

On  the  east  of  the  old  town  of  Melros  is  Prior- 
bank,*  standing  within  the  old  boundary  of  the 
convent.  The  situation  of  the  house  is  beautiful, 
and  commands  undoubtedly  the  best  view  of  the 
"  far-famed  pile/'  owing  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
adjacent  town,  which  obtrudes  itself  in  every  other 
view  of  this  building,  so  beautiful  and  lovely  even 
in  decay.  In  the  end  of  the  last  century  it  was 
the  property  of  William  Kiddell  of  Camieston.  It 
afterwards  became  the  property  of  Major  Gowdie. 
William  Tait  is  now  the  owner. 

Markets  and  Trade  of  the  Town. — Melros  has  a 
weekly  market,  at  which  corn  is  sold  in  bulk.  It 
has  right  to  four  fairs  in  the  year — one  at  Martin- 
mas, one  on  the  last  Wednesday  of  May,  another 
on  the  Thursday  before  Easter,  which  was  called 
the  Holy  Fair.  There  is  also  a  fair  held  on 
Lambas  for  the  sale  of  lambs.  The  fair  stead  is 
on  the  moor  which  extends  from  Dingleton  west- 

*  In  the  Retours  it  is  called  Prior  Wood  or  Prior  Meadow. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  45 

ward.  In  the  afternoon  a  great  number  of  people 
turn  out  and  spend  the  day  in  pleasure.  There  is 
at  present  no  manufactures  in  the  town  or  neigh- 
bourhood. The  town  was  formerly  famed  for  its 
linen  manufacture,  called  " Melrose  land  linens" 
for  which  commissions  were  received  from  London, 
and  it  was  also  exported  in  considerable  quantities. 
In  1686  the  weavers  obtained  a  seal  of  cause  from 
the  Earl  of  Haddington,  the  lord  of  Melrose. 
About  the  end  of  last  century  the  trade  began  to 
decline,  owing,  it  is  said,  to  the  encouragement 
given  to  the  woollen  manufacture  throughout  Scot- 
land, and  to  the  manufacturers  of  Galashiels  being 
enabled  to  pay  a  higher  wage  to  spinners  than  the 
linen  trade  could  afford.  The  prices  paid  for 
spinning  linen  was  Is.  2d.  per  lb  of  4  hanks.  In 
the  year  ending  November  1755  there  were  stamped 
33,282f  yards  of  Melrose-made  linen,  and  for  the 
ten  following  years  the  amount  was  nearly  the  same. 
In  the  year  ending  1774  the  number  of  yards  had 
fallen  to  20,789,  and  in  the  ten  years  ending  1785 
the  quantity  was  as  low  as  17,792  yards.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  to  revive  the  trade,  aided  by  Mr 
Brown,  the  minister  of  the  parish,  and  an  intelli- 
gent bleacher,  but  their  exertions  were  not  attended 
with  success.  The  bleachfield  was  held  in  £5 
shares.  About  1790,  the  weavers  of  Gattonside 
and  Melrose  weaved  annually,  on  the  average, 
282  stones  of  wool.  In  addition  to  the  looms  em- 
ployed by  the  manufacturers  near  Galashiels,  there 


46  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

were  80  looms  in  the  parish — 20  employed  iD 
weaving  cotton,  30  in  woollen,  and  30  in  linen 
work.* 

Literature. — The  town  has  several  good  lib- 
raries. The  St  Mary's  library  was  constituted  in 
1798,  and  contains  upwards  of  2500  volumes  of 
general  literature.  The  entry-money  is  2s.  6d., 
and  the  annual  subscription  10s.  The  parish 
library,  which  is  more  of  a  religious  character,  was 
founded  in  1824.  It  is  under  the  management  of 
a  committee  of  ladies,  with  the  minister  of  the 
parish  as  president.  The  number  of  volumes  is 
about  1300,  and  a  contribution  of  Is.  entitles  a 
party  to  read  for  a  year.  The  Established  Church, 
the  United  Presbyterians,  and  Free  Churches,  have 
each  special  libraries  for  the  use  of  their  respective 
Sabbath  schools.  There  are  also  two  reading  clubs 
in  the  town. 

The  parish  School  of  Melrose  was  built  of  funds 
bequeathed  by  Bishop  Fletcher  of  Argyle,  who  was 
for  sometime  minister  of  the  parish,  as  a  Latin  in- 
scription in  the  wall  commemorates.!  In  the  school 
the  highest  branches  of  education  are  well  taught, 
Latin,  Greek,  French,  and  Mathematics.  The  school 
is  of  repute  in  the  district,  and  is  "  extremely  useful 
as  an  upper  seminary  to  which  young  people  can  be 
sent"  when  advanced  beyond  the  schools  of  the 

*  Old  Statistical  Account. 

f  New  Statistical  Account,  p.  69. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  47 

parish.  There  are  also  schools  in  high  estimation 
for  the  education  of  young  ladies. 

Institutions. — A  Friendly  Society,  founded  in 
1790,  was  dissolved  about  1846,  and  succeeded  by 
a  yearly  friendly  society,  which  dissolves  and  recon- 
structs itself  every  year.  It  has  about  140  mem- 
bers, and  is  useful  in  alleviating  the  wants  of  peo- 
ple during  sickness.  The  payment  by  each  member 
is  Is.  per  quarter.  The  Society  of  Free  Gardeners 
was  established  in  1821,  and  after  an  existence  of 
forty  years,  during  which  they  amassed  money  and 
built  the  Commercial  Hotel,  dissolved  in  1861,  and 
disposed  of  their  property.  The  Society  of  St  John's 
Lodge  of  Free  Masons  was  established  in  1797.  It 
has  about  150  members,  and  is  believed  to  be  in  a 
flourishing  condition. 

The  Kunrig  lands  of  the  wards  of  Melros,  extend- 
ing to  67  acres  or  thereby,  outfield  and  infield,  in- 
cluding Gallows  Brae,  were  divided  in  May  1751 
among  thirteen  persons  of  the  names  of  Cook,  Ellies, 
Wilkieson,  Hunter,  Penman,  Gill,  Murray,  Hender- 
son, Phaup,  and  Bowanhill. 

Dingleton — Danielston. — This  place  is  situ- 
ated on  both  sides  of  the  rivulet  which  flows  through 
Little  Fordell.  It  is  thought  to  derive  its  name 
from  the  dingle  through  which  the  stream  flows. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century  it  is  written 
Danielston,  and  at  the  present  time  both  names  are 
used  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  locality.  The  terri- 
tory belonged  to  the  monastery,  and  it  is  probable 


48  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

that  one  of  the  tenants,  of  the  name  of  Daniel, 
conferred  his  name  on  it.  The  greater  part  of 
the  lands  belong  to  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  and  a 
number  of  feuars  who  possess  the  town  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  land  held  under  him.  Previous  to  1756, 
there  were  87  acres  of  plots  called  the  infield  lands 
of  Danielstown,  and  6y  acres  of  outfield  plots,  pos- 
sessed in  runrig  and  common,  and  at  that  date  were 
divided  by  the  Sheriff  among  George  Scott,  Alex- 
ander Vair,  Thomas  Vair,  Kobert  Lawrie,  Walter 
Scott,  Adam  Dodds,  George  Scott,  and  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch.  The  value  of  the  land  so  divided  was, 
at  that  time,  £14, 16s.  7Jd.  In  April  1608,  James 
M'Dougal  was  served  heir  to  his  father,  Thomas 
M'Dougal  of  Macarstoun,  in  the  lands  of  Daniel- 
ston.*  In  1 640  the  territory  belonged  to  the  Earl 
of  Haddington.f  On  one  of  the  roads  in  the  decreet 
of  division  is  a  place  popularly  known  as  the  Locked 
Well,  from  whence  it  is  said  water  was  carried  to 
the  monastery  in  lead  pipes.J  A  little  to  the  south- 
west of  Dingleton  there  formerly  stood  a  cross,  and 
the  place  on  which  it  stood  still  bears  the  name  of 
Crosshillhead. 

Milne,  in  his  description  of  this  part  of  the  par- 
ish of  Melrose,  states  that  "  on  the  north  side  of  the 
middle  hill  (Eildon),  near  the  foot  of  it,  there  is  a 
place  called  Bourjo,  where  I  think  the  Druids  have 
offered  their  sacrifices,  and  performed  the  super- 

*  Retour,  No.  50.        f  lb.,  No.  72.         %  Milne's  Melrose. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  49 

stitious  rites  in  this  grove  to  Jupiter,  it  being  all 
planted  with  oak.  The.  Bour  has  been  surrounded 
with  a  deep  trench,  and  a  plain-way  made  to  it 
from  the  east  and  to  the  west/'  Hutchinson,  when 
he  visited  the  locality  in  1776,  says,  that  "  the  place 
called  Abor-jo,  of  which  there  is  such  a  tradition, 
engaged  us  sometime :  our  guide  said  that  in  former 
times  it  was  girt  with  a  grove  of  oaks,  and  fenced 
with  a  trench  and  vallum  of  earth.  The  vestiges 
of  the  trench  remain,  but  the  grove  is  no  more. 
Abor  was  a  name  given  by  the  Amonians  to  the 
great  luminary,  and  signifies  the  parent  of  light. 
In  Mr  Bryant's  work  we  have  the  following  defini- 
tion:— The  luminary  was  also  called  Abor,  the 
parent  of  light,  and  his  temple,  Clio- Abor.  Of 
this  both  a  city  and  river  were  to  be  found  in 
Gauzaintes,  as  well  as  Cusiaria  and  other  parts. 
Abor-jo  is  an  easy  corruption  of  Abor-Cho,  being 
a  mere  transposition  of  the  title."  Chalmers,  on 
the  authority  of  Mr  Kinghorn's  MS.  survey,  states 
that  "  upon  the  tract  of  this  fosse,  in  the  declivity 
of  the  middle  Eldun,  there  is  a  small  circular  en- 
trenchment, which  is  called  Bour-jo,  and  contains 
about  two-thirds  of  an  English  acre."  The  writer 
of  the  "  Kew  Statistical  Account"  says  the  place  is 
worthy  of  attention.  "  It  is  evidently  artificial,  of 
great  magnitude,  and  by  tradition  the  site  of  a  Pagan 
altar.  The  road  leading  to  it  is  called  the  Haxal- 
gate,  and  the  ravine  through  which  it  passed  the 
Haxalgateheugh.     The  place  is  still  regarded  by 

D 


50  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  people  with  interest ;  and  they  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  pointing  it  out  to  each  succeeding  minister 
as  the  identical  spot  where  their  forefathers  '  were 
wont  to  bow  the  knee  to  Baal,  and  put  their  sacri- 
fices into  earthen  vessels' — the  tradition  mingling 
with  a  better  faith."*  Wade,  in  his  "  History  of 
Melrose,"  says: — "  Upon  the  slopes  of  the  north-east- 
ern hill,  and  nearest  the  town  of  Melrose,  is  a  large, 
and  to  all  appearance  a  natural  tumulus,  called  the 
Bourjo,  having  a  road  leading  to  it  called  the  Hax- 
algate.  It  is  traditionally  reported  to  have  been 
the  site  of  a  Druidic  temple." f  The  place  is  laid 
down  in  the  Ordnance  Map,  and  marked  Burgo. 
After  repeated  and  careful  examinations  of  this 
place,  I  am  fully  satisfied  that  there  is  no  ground 
for  the  belief  that  it  was  a  Druidic  place  of  worship. 
It  is  plain  to  me  that  the  writer  of  the  "  Statistical 
Account/'  and  Mr  Wade,  never  examined  the  place 
they  speak  of,  or  they  would  have  given  a  very 
different  description  of  it.  There  are  four  mounds, 
the  largest  of  which  is  in  the  middle,  and  each  is 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  a  spring  of  water  which 
issues  from  the  hill  above.  They  are  beyond  doubt 
artificial.  The  middle  one  especially  has  the  ap- 
pearance as  if  the  earth  of  which  it  is  formed  had 
been  taken  out  of  the  hill  above,  and  wheeled  up 
by  a  barrow.     Owing  to  these  mounds  being  at 

*  New  Statistical  Account,  pp.  62,  63. 
f  Wade's  History  of  Melrose,  p.     361. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  51 

springs,  there  is  room  for  the  idea  that  there  may 
have  been  watering-places  for  cattle  at  the  place, 
and  the  mounds  made  at  the  time  the  drinking- 
places  were  formed.  But  be  this  as  it  might,  it  is 
clear  that  the  tumuli  have  no  connection  with  a 
temple  of  the  sun.  The  Haxalgate  is  merely  the 
road  to  the  mountains,  and  Haxalcrag  the  mountain 
crag.  Mr  Kinghorn,  who  made  a  survey  of  the 
locality  for  Mr  Chalmers,  while  engaged  on  his 
great  work  of  "  Caledonia/'  says  that  the  place  is  on 
a  tract  of  a  fosse  or  military  way  referred  to  by 
Milne,  running  westward  in  a  connecting  continua- 
tion to  Caldshiels  Hill.  But  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  this  fosse  was  made  by  David  I.,  as  the  bound- 
ary between  the  property  of  the  houses  of  Melros 
and  Kelso,  referred  to  in  the  settlement  of  a  con- 
troversy as  to  the  limits  of  their  lands  by  William 
the  Lion  in  1208.  By  this  decision  the  march  is 
made  to  run  "  from  the  ford  of  Bouildenburne,  which 
is  between  the  bounds  of  Lessedwyn  and  Bouildene, 
as  far  as  the  cross  which  is  situated  between  Wythrig 
and  Harecarleche,  and  thence  as  far  as  the  White- 
thorn which  is  situated  in  Wyterig,  and  thence  north- 
wards  to  Okedene,  and  ascending  as  far  as  the  cross 
near  the  green  fosse,  and  by  the  green  fosse  as  far 
as  the  cross  which  is  placed  above  Sprouisdene, 
and  thence  ascending  to  the  fountain  near  the 
Whitethorn  as  the  stream  from  the  same  fountain 
descends,  and  thence  by  Farnileye  to  the  willows, 
and  crosses,  and  ditches  which  have  been  placed  in 


52  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  middle  of  the  hill  to  the  top  of  the  same,  on 
which  King  David  caused  the  ditches  to  be  made, 
and  thence  descending  westward  to  the  place  called 
Derebley,  and  thence  by  the  divided  wood,  and  by 
the  crosses  and  ditches,  and  oaks  marked  with  crosses, 
as  far  as  the  lake  beneath  Blakelauue,  and  from  that 
lake  to  another,  and  so  on  to  Holdene,  and  thence 
descending  by  the  rivulet  of  Holdene  as  far  as  the 
Tweed/'*     In  the  charter  granted  by  Eobert  Earl 

*  "  A  vado  de  Bouildenburne  quo  est  inter  di visas  de  Les- 
sedwyn  et  Bouildene  usque  ad  erucem  que  posita  est  enter 
Wytherig  et  Harecarlecbe ;  et  sic  usque  ad  albam  spinara 
que  sita  est  in  Wyterig ;  et  sic  usque  north  usque  en  Ake- 
dene ;  et  ascendendo  usque  ad  erucem  juxta  viride  fossatum. 
et  per  viride  fossatum  usque  ad  erucem  que  sita  est  supra 
Sprouisdene  ;  et  sic  ascendendo  usque  ad  fontem  juxta 
albam  spinam  sic  rivulus  eiuesdem  fontis  descendit ;  et  sic 
per  Farnileye  usque  ad  salices  :  et  cruces  et  fossas  que  fece 
sunt  in  medio  monte  usque  ad  summitatem  eiusdem  montis 
in  cui  summitate  fecit  Rex  David  fossas  fieri ;  et  sic  versus 
occidentem  descendit  usque  in  locum  que  dicitur  Derebley  ; 
et  sic  per  nemus  scissum  et  per  cruces  et  fossas  ;  et  quercus 
cruceus  signatas  usque  in  lacum  subter  Blakelauue  ;  et  sic 
d  illo  lacu  usque  in  alium  lacum  ;  et  sic  usque  in  Holdene  ; 
Et  sic  rivulus  de  Holdene  descendit  usque  in  Twede."  Lib. 
de  Melros,  vol.  i.,  pp.  134-6.  Mr  Morton  in  his  Monastic 
Annals,  p.  220,  has  misread  Holdene  for  Bolden,  and  made 
the  boundary  to  run  from  the  lake  to  Bowden,  and  thence 
down  the  rivulet  of  Bowden  to  the  Tweed  opposite  to  Dry- 
burgh.  But  the  Holdene  rivulet  of  the  charter  is  the  rivu- 
let which  issues  from  the  lake  at  Faldoneside,  and  flows  into 
the  Tweed  nearly  opposite  to  Boldside.  The  line  drawn  by 
Morton,  instead  of  forming  a  boundary,  runs  through  the 
middle  of  the  barony  o    Bowdm. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  53 

of  Roxburghe  to  the  f'euars  of  Bowden  in  1607,  the 
limits  are  thus  defined  : — "  By  the  lands  of  Huntly- 
wood,  thence  as  the  said  dyke  lies  south  up  to  the 
brow  of  the  hill ;  thence  east  the  said  dyke  to  a  syke 
lying  northward,  down  to  a  north  dyke  by  the  south 
side  of  the  lands  of  Danielston  ;  thence  east  the  said 
dyke  to  the  foot  of  the  middle  hill ;  thence  over 
the  top  of  the  middle  mountain  ;  thence  down  the 
east  side  thereof  to  a  grey  stone  above  the  north 
hill ;  thence  to  a  dyke  at  the  west  side  of  Mem  s 
Close  ;  thence  south  the  said  dyke  to  Sprouston 
burn  ;  thence  down  the  said  burn  to  a  dyke  called 
Sprouston  burn  dyke  ;  thence  south  the  said  dyke  to 
Ekiedean  burn ;  thence  down  the  said  burn  to  a 
dyke  on  the  east  side  of  the  lands  of  Whitrig, 
thence  south  the  said  dyke  to  the  south  end  of  Har- 
cars."  It  is  probable  that  the  so-called  Bourjo  is 
the  Derebley  in  the  decision  of  the  king.  From 
the  settlement  it  would  appear  that  the  mountain 
pastures  had  been  divided  equally  between  the  two 
houses. 

On  the  eastern  Eildon  is  a  camp  which  takes  in 
the  whole  summit  of  the  hill,  nearly  two  miles  in 
circuit.  The  form  of  the  hill  is  peculiar.  On  the 
south  its  side  is  steep  till  the  height  of  about  800 
feet,  at  which  elevation  there  is  a  flat,  or,  as  it  is 
popularly  called,  the  floors,  of  nearly  four  acres  of 
excellent  pasture,  extending  from  the  east  to  the 
west  side  of  the  hill,  and  about  the  half  of  it  from 
north  to  south.     From  the  north  side  of  this  flat 


54  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  hill  rises  nearly  perpendicular  to  the  height  of 
1364  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  camp  is 
fortified  by  breastworks  of  earth,  defended  by  moles 
at  irregular  distances.  Owing  to  the  natural 
strength  of  the  ground,  the  ramparts  do  not  in- 
clude the  south  side,  but  run  from  the  west  and 
east,  where  the  ground  affords  easy  access  to  the 
floors,  and  encircle  the  hill  at  the  same  level  with 
the  flat  ground.  Within  these  works,  and  along 
the  course  of  the  ditches,  the  foundations  of  a  great 
number  of  huts  are  to  be  seen,  and,  on  the  apex  of 
the  mountain,  the  circular  tent  of  the  chief  of  the 
army  can  be  plainly  traced. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  flat  portion  of  the  hill  on 
the  south  has  not  been  occupied,  excepting  at  the 
weak  spots  on  the  east  and  west,  and  from  this  it 
may  be  inferred  that  the  occupiers  of  the  mountain 
had  been  looking  for  an  enemy  approaching  from 
the  north  or  east,  and  not  from  the  south.  The 
camp  must  also  have  been  formed  during  the 
summer  months,  as  it  was  impossible  to  have 
made  it  in  winter,  or  to  have  occupied  it  at  any 
other  time  than  during  the  mild  season  of  the 
year.  Milne  says  that  the  camp  was  formed  by 
the  Roman  people,  and  a  number  of  writers  have 
followed  him  without  bestowing  any  consideration 
on  the  subject.  But  it  is  clear  that  the  camp  does 
not  belong  to  the  Romans.  The  Roman  generals 
never  made  choice  of  such  high  ground  for  their 
camps.     They  could  not  have  used  it.    A  con- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  55 

siderable  portion  of  their  army  was  composed  of 
horse,  requiring  not  only  low  ground,  but  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  water.  An  army  composed  partly 
of  horse  could  not  have  occupied  the  Eildun  from 
the  nature  of  the  ground,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  well  on  the  face  of  the  hill  at  the  east  end  of 
the  flat,  there  is  no  water  to  supply  an  army  of 
foot.  Besides,  the  Romans  had  their  station  at 
the  base  of  the  hill,  between  Eildun  and  the  Tweed. 
While  it  is  probable  that  this  hill  was  occupied 
at  a  very  early  period  by  the  British  people  as  a 
place  of  strength,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  camp  and  fortifications  in  question  were 
formed  in  the  summer  of  761.  On  the  murder  of 
Osulf,  the  king  of  Northumbria,  in  July  759,  Moll- 
Ethel  wold  got  possession  of  the  kingdom.  Oswine, 
one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  nobility,  and  of 
royal  extraction,  claimed  the  throne  as  his  by  right 
of  inheritance,  and  levied  a  large  army  to  recover 
it.  After  having  strongly  fortified  himself  on  this 
hill,  he  resolved  to  put  his  claim  to  the  issue  of  a 
battle,  and,  on  the  6th  of  August  761,  an  engage- 
ment took  place,  which  was  continued  for  three 
successive  days  with  the  greatest  obstinacy,  but 
ended  in  the  defeat  and  death  of  Oswine. 

In  1258,  Alexander  III.  levied  a  great  army, 
and  remained  for  some  time  here. 

The  view  from  the  summit  of  the  eastern  hill  is 
extensive  and  beautiful.  The  hill  stands,  as  it 
were,  in  the  centre  of  a  great  circle,  having  a  dia- 


56  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

meter  of  about  36  miles,  formed  by  the  Cheviot 
range  on  the  south,  the  Moffat  Hills  on  the  west, 
the  Lammermoors  on  the  north,  and  the  heights  of 
Flodden  on  the  east.  Within  this  circle  lies  a 
territory  unsurpassed  for  richness  and  beauty.* 
On  the  south,  "  bonny  Teviotdale,  abbeyed,  towered, 
and  castled,"  is  in  its  whole  length  and  breadth 
within  the  range  of  vision,  and  it  is  not  easy  to 
conjure  up  a  fairer  scene.  On  the  north,  the  vale 
of  Leder,  beautifully  wooded  and  cultivated,  lies 
disclosed  to  view : 

"  Ercildonne  and  Cowdenkuows, 


Where  Homes  bad  ance  commanding, 
And  Drygrange  wi'  the  milk  white  ewes 
'Twixt  Tweed  and  Leder  standing." 

Looking  westward  the  Tweed  is  seen  as  far  as  the 
the  groves  of  Yair,  and  that  part  of  the  forest 

"  Where  Newark's  stately  tower 


Looks  out  from  Yarrow's  birchen  bower. " 

*  The  Ettrick  Shepherd,  in  his  "  Hunt  of  Eildon,"  says : — 
"Of  all  the  lovely  prospects  in  our  isle,  this  is  the  most 
lovely.  What  must  it  have  been  in  those  days  when  all  the 
ruins  of  monastery,  tower,  and  citadel,  which  still  make  the 
traveller  stand  in  wonder  and  admiration,  were  then  in 
their  full  splendour.  Traveller,  would  you  see  Scotland  in 
all  its  wild  and  majestic  grandeur?  sail  along  its  western 
friths  from  south  to  north.  Would  you  see  that  grandeur 
mellowed  by  degrees  into  softness?  look  from  the  top  of 
Benlomond.  But  would  you  see  an  amphitheatre  oi  perfect 
beauty,  where  nothing  is  wanting  to  enrich  the  scene? 
seat  yourself  on  the  spot  where  Gala  now  lay,  at  the  angle 
of  the  Roman  camp,  on  the  top  of  the  north-east  Eildon." 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  57 

Galashiels,  with  its  busy  population,  is  seen  to 
great  advantage ;  but  nothing  can  equal  the  effect  of 
allowing  the  eye  to  wander  slowly  over  the 
winding  course  of  the  Tweed  from  Abbotsford  to 
the  ruins  of  Roxburgh.  At  the  base  of  the  hill 
lies  spread  out  the  beautiful  valley  of  Melrose,  in 
the  middle  of  which  rises  "  St  David's  ruined  pile." 
Sweet  Gladswood  on  Tweed's  buttressed  banks  ; 
the  ivied  ruins  of  Dry  burgh  appearing  from  among 
the  dark  woods  with  which  they  are  surrounded ; 
Mertoun's  Halls,  fair  even  when  not  a  leaf  is  on 
the  bough — 

•*  Tweed  loves  them  well,  and  turns  again, 
As  loath  to  leave  the  sweet  domain  ; 
And  holds  his  mirror  to  her  faee, 
And  clips  her  with  a  close  embrace." 

Farther  on  is  the  ruined  tower  of  Littledean  on 
the  right  bank,  and  on  the  left  towering  stands  the 
mansion  of  the  ancient  race  of  M'Dowal.  But  it 
is  impossible  to  describe  with  the  pen  the  enchant- 
ing scenes  which  rise  to  view  in  every  re-duplication 
of  this  royal  river.  They  must  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated.  While  standing  upon  the  top  of  this 
hill,  and  surveying  the  country  around,  I  could  not 
help  casting  my  eyes  backward  to  that  period  when 
the  Roman  legions  marched  from  Woodenlaw  to 
their  station  on  the  Tweed,  through  a  country  of 
woods  and  marshes,  full  of  wild  animals.  Now 
the  land  resembles  a  garden,  clustered  with  towns, 
villages,  and  mansions,  and,  instead  of  the  legions 


58  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

traversing  the  Watling-street,  an  express  train 
bursts  from  the  Gala  valley  and  rushes  through 
the  station  of  Trimontium,  passing  at  whirlwind 
speed  along  part  of  the  Eoman  way. 

Newstead. — This  village  is  situated  on  the  right 
margin  of  the  Tweed,  about  half  way  between  the 
two  religious  houses  of  Mailros  and  Melros.  The 
name  is  derived  from  its  being  the  stead  of  the 
abbey  which  was  founded  by  David  I.  As  already 
shown  in  a  previous  part  of  this  work,  the  village 
stands  on  part  of  the  Koman  station  of  Trimon- 
tium. The  Watling-street  is  traced  up  to  the 
town,  and  remains  undoubtedly  Eoman  have  been 
found  in  the  neighbourhood.  There  are  good 
grounds  for  believing  that  this  important  station 
occupied  the  ground  to  the  east  of  the  village,  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  religious  house  of  Mailros 
was  planted  on  the  re-duplication  of  the  Tweed, 
on  account  of  the  Eoman  town  being  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity.  Different  opinions  have  been 
held  as  to  the  exact  place  where  the  Eomans  passed 
the  Tweed.  Chalmers  says,  "  from  Eldon  the  Eo- 
man road  went  off  in  a  north  west  direction  past 
Melros,  where  many  Eoman  coins  have  been 
found  ;  and  traversed  the  Tweed  at  the  same  ford 
where  the  common  road  now  passes  it  above  Mel- 
ros, and  near  the  village  of  Galtonside.  After  the 
passage  of  the  Tweed,  the  road  turned  to  the  right, 
and  proceeded  northward  to  the  Eoman  station  of 
Chesterlee,  on  the  north  side  of  a  rivulet  which 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  59 

flows  into  the  Leader  above  Clackmae."*  This 
statement,  it  is  believed,  was  made  on  the  faith  of 
Milne,  the  "  Statistical  Account,"  and  a  survey  by 
Mr  Kinghorn  ;  but  they  have  mistaken  the  course 
of  the  road  from  the  village  of  Eildun,  and  hence 
the  error  as  to  the  place  were  the  river  was  crossed. 
From  Eildun  the  road  went  direct  upon  the  Tweed, 
as  recent  discoveries  have  clearly  established. 
During  the  formation  of  the  North  British  Rail- 
way in  1846,  a  portion  of  the  road  was  laid  open  in 
a  field  adjoining  the  Red  Abbey  Stead  on  the  west, 
running  in  the  direction  of  the  river.  Dr  Smith, 
in  a  paper  read  by  him  to  the  Society  of  Antiqua- 
ries of  Scotland  in  1850,  says  that  after  the  road 
passed  the  field,  "  it  then  descended  the  right  bank 
of  the  river,  within  the  memory  of  the  fathers  of 
the  old  men  of  the  present  generation,  towards  the 
foundations  of  a  very  ancient  stone  bridge,  by 
which  it  crossed  the  Tweed  on  its  way  northwards 
up  the  vale  of  the  Leader."  f  Mr  Milne,  in  his 
description  of  Melrose  parish,  states  that  at  New- 
stead,  "  there  has  been  a  famous  bridge  over 
Tweed  ;  the  entrance  to  it  on  the  south  side  is  very 
evident,  and  a  great  deal  of  fine  stones  are  dug  out 
of  the  pillars  of  the  bridge  when  the  water  is  low/'J 


*  Caledonia,  vol.  i.  p.  135. 

t  Proceedings  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  vol.  i.  p.  30. 

%  It  is  right  to  notice  what  Mr  Wade  says  in  regard  to  this 
bridge,  in  order  that  the  public  may  not  be  misled  by  state- 
ments made  without  authority : — "  Across  the  Tweed,  at 


60  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

Assuming  that  the  Romans  crossed  the  river  here, 
the  road  would  be  continued  up  the  hill  by  Kitty- 
field,  and  from  thence  in  nearly  a  straight  line 
northwards  ;  but  according  to  the  route  laid  down 
by  Chalmers,  the  road  would  go  two  miles  west 
from  Elidun  to  the  ford,  and  then  turn  back  in  a 
north-easterly  direction  for  more  than  a  mile. 
General  Roy  was  also  in  error  in  supposing  that 
the  road,  after  passing  the  Tweed,  went  by  Gatton- 
side,  and  thence  by  the  valley  of  the  Alwyn  north- 
wards. The  Watling-street,  in  its  course  between 
the  Tweed  and  Lauder,  is  thought  to  be  the  Mal- 
cholmisrode  of  the  charters.* 

Newstead,  there  stood  anciently  a  very  fine  stone  bridge  of 
massive  construction  and  great  dimensions,  the  building  of 
which  was  excellent  in  masonic  skill  and  workmanship. 
The  piers  were  standing  in  the  17th  century,  and  have  been 
carted  away  to  supply  mills  and  sluices  with.  The  stone 
required  for  the  building  of  Melrose  Abbey  was  carried  along 
this  bridge,  and  the  site  of  the  abutements  is  traceable  on 
both  sides  of  the  river."  Now  there  is  no  authority  what- 
ever for  this  statement  further  than  that  a  bridge  is  believed 
to  have  existed  at  this  place,  but  as  to  its  construction  and 
workmanship  nothing  can  be  known,  and  as  to  the  stones 
for  building  Melros  Abbey  being  carried  over  it,  it  is  purely 
imaginary.  Where  did  the  stones  come  from?  In  the 
reign  of  William  the  Lion,  Robert  de  Berkley,  and  Cecilia 
his  wife,  bestowed  on  the  monks  "  stone  from  his  quarry  of 
Alwerdine,  sufficient  to  erect  the  buildings  of  the  house  of 
Melros." — Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  78.  Alwerdine  is  in 
the  barony  of  Maxton,  on  the  same  bank  of  the  Tweed  as 
Melrose. 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  pp.  90,  231. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  61 

Mr  Milne,  in  his  account  of  Melrose,  states  that 
this  town  was  "  noted  for  an  ancient  lodge  of  mas- 
ons, but  more  remarkable  for  another  abbey  on  the 
east  side  of  it,  called  the  Ked  Abbey  Stead."  This 
statement  is,  I  think,  without  any  foundation,  and 
the  name,  it  is  thought,  might  have  led  to  a  differ- 
ent conclusion.  I  have  no  doubt  Eed  Abbey  Stead 
was  the  stead  of  the  first  religious  house,  or  it  may 
have  been  the  old  stead  of  the  house  of  Melros.  It 
was  usual  for  the  steadings  to  be  at  some  distance 
from  the  monastery.  The  steading  of  Kelso  Abbey 
was  situated  on  the  road  to  Edenham. 

The  lands  of  JSTewstead  were  possessed  by  feuars 
and  kindly  tenants  who  held  of  the  abbey,  and  be- 
sides paying  a  small  feu-duty,  were  bound  to  turn 
out.  in  arms  when  danger  threatened  the  monastery, 
or  to  fight  in  the  army  of  the  king.  The  following 
names  appear  as  having  an  early  connection  with 
the  town  and  territory :  Bunzie,  Fisher,  Hart,  Hun- 
ter, Mabon,  Mein,  Mercer,  Pringle,  Williamson, 
and  Slater.  In  1771  the  Eunrig  lands  of  New- 
stead  were  divided  by  the  Sheriff.  The  lands  con- 
sisted of  24 \  husband  lands,  and  included  the  north- 
side,  southside,  and  hill.  One  of  the  Williamsons 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  to  introduce  to  the 
locality  a  kind  of  fanners  for  cleaning  grain  ;  and 
the  people  of  the  district  were  very  doubtful  of  the 
propriety  of  what  was  then  considered  an  unwar- 
rantable interference  with  the  "  Prince  of  the  Power 
of  the  air"  in  raising  the  wind,  and  were  dubious 


62  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

about  purchasing  grain  which  had  been  prepared 
in  this  way. 

At  the  Eeformation  the  lands  and  pendicles  of 
Newstead  were  valued  in  the  rent-roll  of  the  abbey, 
at  £85,  16s.  The  two  abbey  mills  of  which  New- 
stead  was  one,  were  valued  at  £48.  There  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  a  separate  valuation  of 
Newstead  mill. 

In  1827  a  mass  of  meteoric  iron  was  discovered 
in  a  garden  belonging  to  Mrs  Williamson,  marked 
No.  221 1  in  the  Ordnance  Survey  Map.  While 
digging  out  one  of  the  sunken  cellars  of  a  new  cot- 
tage, this  piece  of  meteoric  iron  was  found  at  the 
depth  of  three  or  four  feet  from  the  floor  of  the 
house.  "  The  mass  of  iron  measures  10|  inches 
in  its  greatest  length,  and  7  inches  across  the  widest 
part  about  the  middle  of  its  length ;  the  larger 
blunt  edged  extremity  measuring  6  inches  across. 
Its  circumference  round  the  larger  extremity  is  1 
foot  3  inches ;  round  the  large  lobular  projection 
(about  the  middle  of  the  mass)  its  widest  part  1 
foot  8£  inches  ;  while  within  lj  inches  of  the  point 
it  measures  only  9 J  inches  in  circumference.  It 
weighed  32  lbs.,  11  ounces,  1|  drachms  avoirdupois, 
equal  to  30.60  lbs.  troy.  The  specific  gravity  of 
the  entire  mass  is  6.517  The  external  surface  of 
this  meteoric  is  of  a  dark  reddish  brown  colour,  ap- 
proaching in  some  parts  to  black,  and  the  lobu- 
lated  parts  show  here  and  there,  especially  in  the 
furrows  which  divide  them,  spots  of  a  brighter 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  63 

red  colour,  due  apparently  to  the  partial  oxidation 
of  its  surface."*  This  mass  of  iron  is  believed  to 
be  the  largest  that  has  yet  been  discovered  in 
Britain. 

Eldun. — This  place  is  situated  to  the  south  of 
Newstead,  on  the  eastern  skirt  of  the  hill.  It  was 
granted  by  David  I.,  along  with  Melros  and  Dern- 
wic,  to  the  monastery  ;  bounded  on  the  west  by  the 
barony  of  Bolden,  on  the  south  by  the  lands  of 
Lessuden,  on  the  east  by  the  river  Tweed,  and  by 
the  lands  of  Newstead  on  the  north.  The  convent 
long  retained  this  estate  in  their  own  hands,  as  one 
of  their  granges,  and  managed  it  by  a  bailiff,  to 
whom  they  paid  a  fee  yearly.  In  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century  a  family  of  Stewart  possessed 
the  lands  and  town  of  Eldun.  In  1573  the  con- 
vent confirmed  a  charter  granted  by  John  Stewart, 
of  a  liferent  in  favor  of  Christina  Wardlaw,  his 
spouse,  of  the  town  and  lands  of  Eldun,  from  which 
it  appears  that  the  annual  return  to  the  convent 
was  the  sum  of  £26  of  the  usual  money  of  the  king- 
dom, payable  at  two  terms  in  the  year,  viz.,  at  the 
feasts  of  Pentecost  and  St  Martin  in  winter,  by 
equal  portions  ;  together  with  sixty  kain  fowls,  and 
sixty  carriages,  according  to  use  and  wont ;  also  to 
attend  the  head  courts  of  the  monastery,  and  to 
grind  their  corn  at  the  mills  of  Melros  or  other 


*  Edinburgh  New  Philosophical  Journal,  New  Series,  for 
July  1862. 


64  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OP 

mills  of  the  monastery.*  In  1 598  Michael  Stewart 
was  in  possession  of  the  lands  as  heir  of  his  father 
John  Stewart.f  In  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, six  acres  of  land  in  Eildun  Cot  was  the  property 
of  David  Mein  in  Newstead.  J  In  1 640  it  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Earl  of  Haddington.  In  the  end  of 
last  century  and  beginning  of  this,  Eldun  Hall  be- 
longed to  Thomas  Mein,  who  formed  the  planta- 
tions which  are  now  so  great  an  ornament  to  the 
place.  From  Mein  it  passed  into  the  family  of 
Henderson.  It  is  now  the  property  of  his  Grace 
of  Buccleuch.  The  situation  of  the  hall  is  fine,  and 
commands  extensive  views  to  the  south  and  east. 
In  the  present  year  considerable  additions  have 
been  made  to  the  house,  with  stones  quarried  out  of 
the  ridge  between  the  eastern  and  middle  hills ;  but 
it  is  trusted  the  noble  owner,  while  allowing  stones 
to  be  quarried  here,  will  take  care  to  preserve  the 
beautiful  outline  of  these  remarkable  hills. 

On  the  north  bank  of  the  Boggleburn,  and  at  a 
place  thereof  where  the  turnpike  road  sweeps  round 
the  eastern  base  of  the  Eildun,  and  before  descend- 
ing the  hill,  is  the  scene  where,  tradition  says, 
Thomas  the  Rhymer  saw  the  Queen  of  fair  Elf  land. 

"  True  Thomas  lay  on  Huntly  Bank, 

A  ferlie  he  spied  wi'  his  e'e, 

And  there  he  saw  a  ladye  bright 

Come  riding  down  by  the  Eildon  Tree." 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  ii.  p.  650.         f  Ketours,  No.  7. 
lib,  No  2U. 


65 

At  the  foot  of  the  bank  the  Boggleburn  meanders, 
at  the  side  of  which,  when 

"  The  sun  blinked  fair  on  pool  and  stream," 

Thomas  was  found  after  an  absence  of  seven  years. 
The  Eildun  tree  has  long  ceased  to  be,  but  a  large 
stone  is  pointed  out  as  being  the  place  where  it 
grew.  Tradition  also  has  it,  that  the  Rhymer  pro- 
phecied  that  a  day  would  come  when  a  person  stand- 
ing at  the  Eildun  tree  would  see  four  bridges  on 
the  Tweed.  If  he  ever  uttered  this  prediction,  it 
has  turned  out  correct ;  but  his  character  as  a  true 
prophet  would  have  been  undoubted  had  he  in- 
cluded the  railway. 

The  town  and  lands  of  Eildun,  in  the  hands  of 
the  feuars,  extending  to  twenty  husband-lands,  were 
at  the  Reformation  valued  in  the  rent-roll  of  the 
abbey  at  £26  sterling. 

Newtown  of  Eildon. — This  town  is  situated  on 
the  north  bank  of  Bowden  burn,  which  flows 
through  a  lovely  dean  to  the  Tweed.  The  time  of 
its  erection  does  not  appear.  The  lands  extended 
to  twenty  husband-lands  or  620  acres,  and  seem  to 
have  lain  between  the  Eildun  march  on  the  north, 
and  Lessuden  burn  on  the  south.  From  this  it 
may  be  inferred  that  the  convent  established  a 
grange  here  after  they  had  obtained  the  lands  of 
Lessuden.  In  the  taxed -roll  of  the  abbey,  made  up 
in  1630,  the  lands  of  Newtown  are  entered  as  worth 
ten  chalders,  and  each  husband-land  as  paying  a 
duty  of  £466,  13s.  4d.    In  1749  the  lands  were 

E 


66  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

divided  by  the  Sheriff,  on  an  application  made  by- 
James  Mein,  portioner,  Newtown,  against  the  other 
feuars,  viz.,  Nicol  Mill,  Thomas  Stenhouse,  Nicol 
Brown,  John  Mill,  Andrew  Brown,  Thomas  Laid- 
law,  Mvmgo  Laidlaw,  John  Cochrane,  Henry  Coch- 
rane, William  Mein,  William  Vair,  and  George 
Bae.  At  that  time  there  were  only  fifteen  houses 
in  the  town.  The  United  Presbyterians  have  a 
meeting-house  here,  which  is  well  attended.  It  is 
romantically  situated  in  a  dean  to  the  east  of  the 
town.  A  good  manse  and  garden  is  provided  for 
the  minister,  with  a  stipend  of  £100  yearly.  The 
town  is  an  important  station  of  the  North  British 
Eailway,  and  a  number  of  good  houses  are  in  conse- 
quence being  built. 

The  ruins  of  a  suspension  bridge  over  the  Tweed 
is  to  be  seen  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  village,  which 
is  worthy  of  notice,  as  it  is  believed  to  have  been 
the  first  bridge  constructed  of  iron  rods  in  Britain. 
In  the  summer  of  1817,  the  bridge  was  erected  of 
iron  rods  varying  from  one  inch  in  diameter  to  half 
an  inch,  in  proportion  to  their  length.  The  span 
was  261  feet.  The  end  supports  were  of  wood,  and 
the  back-stays  of  iron  rods  one  inch  and  a-half  in 
diameter.  The  cost  of  the  bridge  was  £550.  It 
was  blown  down  in  January  1818.  The  cause  of 
the  failure  was  supposed  to  be  the  use  of  an  open 
hook  at  one  end  of  the  rod,  which  had  by  the  force 
of  the  wind  been  drawn  through  the  collar  placed 
on  its  point  to  keep  it  from  opening.     The  bridge 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  67 

was  restored  in  the  same  year,  and  in  doing  so,  the 
hooked  joint  and  the  radiating  principle  was  aban- 
doned, and  a  simple  catenary  adopted,  consisting  of  a 
pair  of  chains  of  iron  rods  on  each  side  of  the  bridge, 
about  the  same  length,  and  one  inch  and  three-eighths 
in  diameter,  having  a  welded  eye  at  each  end  joined 
together  by  welded  coupling  links.  Although  origin- 
ally intended  only  for  foot  passengers,  it  came  to 
be  regularly  used  for  riding  horses.  This  second 
bridge  was  also  blown  down  by  a  severe  tempest, 
after  having  stood  for  about  thirty  years.  On  both 
occasions,  the  supports  and  back -stays  stood  the 
fury  of  the  storm.  The  bridge  is  greatly  missed, 
as  the  only  communication  to  Dryburgh  ruins  is 
by  ferry-boat.  On  some  of  my  visits  to  the  shrine 
of  the  great  magician,  I  have  seen  numbers  of 
young  and  old  of  both  sexes,  with  the  same  ob- 
ject in  view,  waiting  at  the  ferry.*  The  passage 
is  anything  but  safe  in  boisterous  weather. 

DERNWicf — Darnick. — The  name  ofthis  monk- 
ish town  is  derived  from  its  situation  in  the  moor  : 
the  village  in  the  moor.  It  is  about  a  mile  distant 
from  the  abbey  of  Melrose,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Tweed.  The  lands  and  town  of  Dernwic  were 
granted,  along  with  Eldune  and  Galtuneside,  to  the 
convent  by  David  I.     The  territory  is  bounded  on 

*  Fenny  Magazine,  vol.  v.  p.  416.  Description  of  the 
bridge  by  the  constructors,  Thomasand  John  Smith,  builders, 
Darnick. 

f  Charter  of  David  I. 


68  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  east  by  the  lands  of  Melrose,  on  the  north  by 
the  Tweed,  on  the  west  by  the  lands  of  Faldon, 
and  on  the  south  by  the  lands  of  the  barony  of 
Bowden.  The  lands  were  held  in  infield  and  out- 
field. The  infield  were  runrig,  and  the  outfield 
common  pasture.  The  infield  lands  comprehended 
the  town  or  firm  lands  of  Darnick,  Laird's  lands, 
Marisley,  Beerfaulds,  and  others,  amounting]  to 
1700  acres,  3  roods,  and  37  falls,  exclusive  of  the 
yards,  parks,  and  enclosures  about  the  town,  with 
Darnick  wood,  the  pendicle  lands,  and  the  pendicle 
called  M'Quherrie's  land.  *  The  lands  were  divided 
by  the  Sheriff  in  1752-3.  At  this  time,  the  names 
of  the  portioners  were  Dalgleish,  Dickson,  Dodds, 
Fisher,  Heiton,  Hounam,  Lumsden,  Marr,  Mein, 
Millar,  Mercer,  Moody,  Moss,  Koss,  Eonaldson, 
Smith,  Sprott,  Stoddart,  Tait,  Usher,  Wright,  and 
Welsh,  and  these  held  lands  in  varying  proportions, 
which  are  given  in  the  decreet  of  division.  Some 
of  the  names  of  the  infield  and  outfield  lands  re- 
ferred to  in  the  decreet  of  division  are  worth  notic- 
ing, viz.,  Abbotslee,  Bakelin,  Broomhills,  Broom- 
lands,  Boughthills,  and  a  number  terminating  in 
buttsas  Lauriesbutts,  Wattsbutts,  the  Cotburnbutts, 
Boatshielhaugh,  Cot  or  Cotyards,  Cotburn,  Cot- 
brae,  Cothill,  Cotgreen,  Halshole,  Halkerscleuch, 
Honeylees,  Hippingstones,  Highcross,  Honeyhole, 
Kidside,  Longhaugh,  Pyotslaw,  Rispielaw,  Scrab- 

*MS.  Record  of  Sheriff-Court. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  69 

trees,  Shearing-flats,  Stoneyhirstmoor,  Smiddy- 
lees,  Skirmish-hill,  Tanlaws  meadow,  Whithaugh, 
&c. 

The  town  contains  a  number  of  well-built  houses. 
Like  every  other  town  of  the  border,  it  contained 
several  strong  houses  or  houses  of  defence.  Of  these 
only  two  now  remain,  and  both  are  unfortunately 
much  altered  from  their  original  state.  They  are 
both  situated  in  the  northern  extremity  of  the  village, 
and  are  closely  adjoining  one  to  the  other.  One 
of  these  houses  has  been  for  many  years  converted 
into  an  ordinary  dwelling-house,  and  is  now  occu- 
pied by  Mr  Currie,  sculptor.  Its  doorway  on  the 
north  side  still  shows  the  groove  cut  in  the  stone- 
work to  receive  the  outer  strong  door  of  wood  or 
iron,  and  the  large  iron  hooks  on  which  it  hung 
still  remain.  On  the  lintel  there  is  cut  the  I.  H.  S., 
and  the  initials  apparently  of  J.  F.  The  tower  was 
formerly  the  property  of  a  family  named  Fisher. 
A  curious  sculptured  slab  was,  some  years  ago, 
found  used  as  a  hearth-stone  in  this  house,  and  is 
now  at  Abbotsford.  No  doubt  this  had  been  the 
principal  tower  of  the  village. 

The  other  tower  is  immediately  to  the  north, 
with  its  door-way  on  the  south  side,  thus  allowing 
for  mutual  defence.  It  has  had  its  arrangement 
less  interfered  with,  the  dwelling-house  having  been 
added  to  its  eastern  side.  The  original  house  is  26 
feet  6  inches  long,  by  21  feet  9  inches  broad,  and 
its  entrance  is  at  the  foot  of  the  stair,  which  causes 


70  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

a  projection  in  the  south  side  of  7  feet  by  10  feet 
broad.  Its  lintel  also  displays  the  I.  H.  S.,  but 
the  S  is  reversed,  and  the  initials  of  A.  H.,  J.  H., 
and  K.  F.  apparently,  and,  what  is  more  interesting, 
the  date  of  1569.  This  tower  is  the  property  of 
another  family  of  portioners,  named  Heiton,  the 
present  proprietor  being  Mr  John  Heiton  of  Edin- 
burgh. 

Unfortunately  about  thirty  years  ago  this  tower 
underwent  a  thorough  renovation,  and  its  crum- 
bling plain  battlement  and  thatched  roof  were  re- 
placed by  freestone  battlements  with  miniature 
embrasures,  not  at  all  in  keeping  with  its  original 
state,  or  indeed  with  any  border  peel,  and  a  slated 
roof  and  crow-stepped  gables.  The  date  of  1720 
was  observed  on  one  of  the  rafters  of  the  old  roof 
on  its  removal.  Both  towers  seem  to  have  been 
built  about  the  same  period,  the  latter  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century. 

Besides  these  towers,  there  were  also  in  existence 
about  sixty  years  ago  the  ruins  of  a  strong  thick 
walled  house,  apparently  another  house  of  defence, 
which  stood  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  village,  to 
the  east  of  the  present  village  school ;  and  at  no 
great  distance  from  it,  to  the  north  or  north-east, 
were  the  remains  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  large 
malt  kiln.  Towards  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
village  again  another  defensive  house  stood,  which 
was  removed  by  the  Messrs  Smith,  architects,  about 
sixty  years  ago.      It  had  its  storey  below  for  the 


71 

accommodation  of  the  cattle,  and  the  house  for  the 
inhabitants  above.  A  little  way  to  the  east  of  it, 
on  the  site  of  the  present  Darnick  Cottage,  stood 
another  house  of  the  same  kind,  designated  in  the 
titles  the  Little  Peel.  Every  town  and  village  of 
the  district  had  houses  of  the  same  kind. 

The  territory  of  Darnick  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  monks  till  the  Eeformation,  when  it  passed 
into  the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Haddington.  In 
the  abbey  rental  the  lands  are  valued  at  £86  ster- 
ling. In  the  taxed  roll  of  the  abbey,  made  up  in 
1630,  the  feuars  of  the  town  and  lands  and  teinds 
of  Darnick  and  Bridge-end,  worth  £1766,  paid 
£1066,  13s.  4d  of  annual  feu-duty.  In  Septem- 
ber 1724,  Her  Grace  the  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  was 
superior  of  the  lands.  In  1732,  the  duties  were 
paid  to  the  Lady  Isabella  Scott.  In  1748,  the  feu- 
duty  was  levied  by  the  Earl  of  Dalkeith.  In  1752, 
the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  was  superior,  and  whose 
descendants  enjoy  the  superiority  at  the  present 
day.  In  1806,  an  attempt  was  made  by  the  Duke 
of  Buccleuch  to  compel  the  feuars  of  the  whole 
district  to  take  out  entries  under  him  as  superior, 
but  the  excitement  it  occasioned  was  so  great,  and 
the  feuars  showed  so  great  a  desire  to  get  them  ■ 
selves  transferred  under  the  crown,  that  the  claim 
was  departed  from. 

Turnips  are  said  to  have  been  first  sown  in  the 
fields  of  Darnick  by  a  Mr  James  Smith,  who  lived 
in   1739.     They  were  sown  broad-cast,  and  the 


72  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

interest  they  excited  was  such  that  the  public,  from 
curiosity,  carried  off  about  half  the  crop. 

A  small  green  mound  on  the  banks,  a  little  to 
the  west  of  the  village,  bore  the  name  of  the 
Plague's  Grave,  and  tradition  connected  it  with  the 
burial  of  those  who  had  died  of  that  dreadful 
malady. 

A  little  to  the  south  of  Darnick,  says  the  minis- 
ter of  Melrose,*  "is  a  place  called  the  Tile  House, 
where  they  made  their  tile  for  the  use  of  the  mon- 
astery, and  a  great  deal  of  it  is  sometimes  found 
there  finely  glazed."  In  the  retour  of  the  service 
of  John,  Earl  of  Haddington,  as  heir  to  his  brother 
Thomas,  Earl  of  Haddington,  of  the  barony  of 
Melrose,  the  lands  of  Darnick  are  referred  to  as 
"  Smyth's  croft,  M'Quherrie's  land,  Tylhouse,  Far- 
mer's land,  Marislandj  Piecefauld,  Officers  land, 
Sacriste's  meadows,  and  Strailing  land." 

A  bridge  crossed  at  Cobbleshaugh,  a  little  above 
where  the  rivulet  of  Darnick  joins  the  Tweed. 
Here  the  river  was  also  passed  by  a  ford,  called  the 
Salter's  Ford,  the  road  from  which  ran  to  the  east 
of  the  Pavilion  Cottage,  thence  by  Gattonside 
bank,  Easter  House  byres,  and  thence  through  the 
lands  of  Mosshouses,  after  which  it  forms  the 
boundary  of  the  estate  of  Cadisley,  by  Bluecairn 
and  Blainslie.  This  is  the  line,  according  to  Chal- 
mers and  others,  of  the   Roman  Watling-street. 

*  Milne's  Melrose. 


m 


ii 


r 


/         & 


:.  ;i.  .!.■■■  ,!;:iiiiiiihi..::i;ii;!!:!!ii::, 


"V    ' 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  73 

From  the  south,  a  road  came  over  Bowdenmoor  in 
the  direction  of  this  ford. 

Bridge-end  of  Darnick. — This  place  owes  its 
name  to  a  bridge  which  is  said  to  have  been  erected 
over  the  river  by  David  I.  to  afford  a  passage  for  pil- 
grims to  Mailros.*  Part  of  the  piers  were  standing 
in  1746,  indeed,  a  portion  of  the  middle  pier  was 
in  existence  about  sixty  years  ago.  It  originally 
consisted  of  four  pillars,  upon  which  lay  planks  of 
wood,  and  on  the  middle  pillar  a  gateway  large 
enough  for  a  carriage  to  pass  through,  and  over 
that  a  room  27  feet  by  15,  in  which  the  toll-keeper 
resided.  Gordon,  who  made  his  northern  tour  in 
1720,  gives  this  account  of  the  bridge,  and  also  an 
engraving  of  it.  Pennant,  who  visited  this  locality 
about  the  middle  of  last  century,  had  the  same 
statement  made  to  him  ;  but  Milne,  who  was  minis- 
ter of  Melrose  from  1711  to  1747,  and  had  good 
opportunities  of  knowing  the  construction  of  the 
bridge,  says,  "  It  has  been  a  timber  bridge  ;  in 
the  middle  pillar  there  has  been  a  chain  for  a 
drawbridge,  with  a  little  house  for  the  conveniency 
of  those  who  kept  the  bridge  and  received  the 
custom.  On  this  pillar  are  the  arms  of  the  Pringles 
of  Gallowshiels."  He  then  comments  freely  on 
Gordon's  description  and  uses  of  the  bridge.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  the  erection  of  the  bridge 
cannot  be  carried  back  beyond  the  sixteenth  century. 

♦Vol.  i.  p.  30. 


74  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

It  is  probable  that  it  may  have  been  erected  by  the 
Pringles  after  they  obtained  Langlee  from  James 
V.  If  it  be  true  that  a  bridge  spanned  the  Tweed 
at  Newstead  in  the  early  days,  there  could  be  no 
need  of  a  bridge  here  for  pilgrims  passing  to  the 
shrine  of  Mailros. 

In  1753,  the  runrig  lands  of  Bridge-end  were 
divided  by  decree  of  the  Sheriff.  The  names  noticed 
in  connexion  therewith  at  that  time  were  Kobert 
Douglas  Galdshiels,  Andrew  Mercer  Lochbreast, 
John  Kutherford,  George  Wight,  John  Mercer, 
George  Moss,  James  Tait,  and  James  Hardie. 

Abbotsford. — An  additional  interest  is  given  to 
the  Darnick  territory  from  its  being  the  locality 
which  the  great  minstrel  selected  for  his  border 
home, — the  small  property  of  Cartly-hole  being  the 
site  of  the  present  A  hbotsford.  The  property  con- 
sisted of  about  100  acres,  and  originally  belonged 
to  a  portioner  of  the  name  of  Dickson,  whose  last 
representative  carried  it  by  marriage  to  Walter 
Turnbull,  parish  schoolmaster  of  Melrose.  Turn- 
bull  sold  the  lands  to  Dr  Douglas,  parish  minister 
of  Galashiels,  from  whom  it  was  purchased  by  Sir 
Walter  Scott.  With  the  view  of  extending  the 
boundaries  of  his  estate,  Sir  Walter  gradually 
bought  up  a  number  of  the  adjoining  little  pro- 
perties and  added  them  to  his  Abbotsford  estate. 
Abbotslea  was  the  name  of  one  of  the  adjoining 
little  possessions  which  Sir  Walter  subsequently 
bought ;  and  that  name,  with  the  existence  of  a 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  75 

ford  close  by,  probably  suggested  the  name  of 
Abbot sford.  With  a  northern  exposure,  and  the 
ground  on  the  south  rising  to  a  considerable  height, 
without  any  wood  to  afford  shelter  from  the  blast 
which  descends  with  great  force  from  the  western 
hills,  Cartly-hole  must  have  had,  at  the  time  of  the 
purchase,  a  bleak  and  uninviting  aspect.  The  only 
house  upon  it  was  a  small  farm-house.  Such  was 
the  nucleus  of  the  estate  and  mansion  of  Abbotsford. 
By  degrees  the  scene  changed.  On  the  site  of  the 
farm-house  of  Cartly-hole  "  a  romance  in  stone  and 
lime"  appeared,  and  the  hills  behind  were  clothed 
with  wood.  The  erection  of  Abbotsford  was  com- 
menced in  1811.  The  building  is  of  extraordinary 
proportions,  presenting  to  the  eye  fantastic  gables, 
parapets,  eaves,  chimneys,  and  balconies.  Many  of 
the  outlines  and  decorations  have  been  taken  from 
celebrated  places  in  Scotland :  a  gateway  from  Lin- 
lithgow, a  roof  from  Eoslin  Chapel,  a  chimney- 
piece  from  Melros,  a  postern  from  the  Heart  of 
Mid-Lothian,  &c. 

The  entrance  into  the  court  of  the  mansion  is  by 
a  lofty  gate.  At  the  side  of  the  gateway  hang  a 
pair  of  jougs  obtained  from  Thrieve  Castle  in  Gallo- 
way. The  house  is  entered  by  a  porchway,  through 
folding  doors  into  a  hall  about  40  feet  long. 
Around  the  cornice  of  this  hall  is  a  series  of  shields 
pertaining  to  those  clans  and  chiefs  celebrated  in 
border  story,  and  the  walls  are  hung  with  ancient 
armour.       The   Armoury   adjoins    this  hall,   in 


76  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

which  is  to  be  seen  the  gun  of  Rob  Roy,  the  pistols 
of  Graham  of  Claverhouse,  a  blunderbuss  presented 
by  Sir  Humphrey  Davie,  which  belonged  to 
Hofer  ;  the  lock  of  the  Selkirk  jail,  carried  off  by  the 
Clan  Turnbull  when  they  broke  the  jail  to  relieve 
several  of  their  confederates  who  had  been  confined 
there ;  a  collection  of  instruments  of  torture ;  the 
mask  worn  by  the  martyr  Wishart  while  at  the  stake ; 
with  a  great  collection  of  curious  and  interesting  ar- 
ticles. The  Drawing-Room  is  large  and  spacious, 
the  furniture  is  antique,  and  contains  several  beauti- 
fully carved  cabinets.  A  portrait  of  Sir  Walter  is  on 
one  side  of  the  door,  and  John  Dryden  on  the  other. 
The  Library  is  a  fine  apartment,  60  feet  by  50,  with 
a  projection  in  the  centre,  having  a  bow-window 
overlooking  the  Tweed.  Here  is  also  a  painting  of 
his  son  in  the  uniform  of  the  18th  Hussars,  by 
Allen,  and  opposite  is  a  bust  of  the  bard  of  Avon. 
There  is  a  large  collection  of  books,  all  classed  and 
arranged  in  separate  divisions ;  collections  of  trea- 
tises de  re  magica  ;  MSS.  relating  to  the  insurrec- 
tions of  1715  and  1745  ;  British  history  and  anti- 
quities, poetry,  classics,  English  drama,  and  French 
and  German  literature.  In  this  room  is  a  bust  of 
Sir  Walter,  executed  by  Chantrey.  The  Study 
communicates  with  the  library.  The  only  furniture 
of  this  apartment  consists  of  a  writing-table  in  the 
centre,  an  easy -chair,  and  a  single  chair  besides. 
There  are  three  paintings  in  the  room — the  head  of 
Claverhouse,  a  small  painting  of  Blair- Adam,  and 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  77 

a  full  length  of  Eob  Koy.  In  the  Closet  adjoin- 
ing lie  the  body-clothes  of  the  great  man,  worn  by 
him  previous  to  his  death,  his  yeomanry  accoutre- 
ments, his  staifs  and  weapons  of  the  forest  craft  hang 
from  the  wall.  The  Dining-Koom  is  a  handsome 
apartment,  with  roof  of  carved  oak.  The  walls  are 
nearly  covered  with  paintings — the  head  of  Queen 
Mary,  by  Canwood,  a  full  length  of  Lord  Essex, 
Oliver  Cromwell,  Claverhouse,  Charles  II.,  Charles 
XII.  of  Sweden,  Duke  of  Monmouth,  Tom  Purdie 
and  terriers  of  the  Dandie  Dinmont  breed ;  paint- 
ings of  Hogarth,  Prior,  Gay,  the  mother  of  Mon- 
mouth, and  Anne  Duchess  of  Buccleuch ;  a  paint- 
ing of  the  minstrel's  grandfather,  who  never  shaved 
after  the  execution  of  Charles  I.  The  Breakfast- 
Parlour  commands  two  fine  views,  one  of  the 
Tweed,  and  the  other  the  hills  of  the  forest.  There 
are  here  a  collection  of  paintings  in  water-colours 
by  Turner  and  Thomson,  an  oil  painting  of  Fast 
Castle  by  Thomson,  &c.  The  nature  and  limits 
of  this  work  precludes  a  fuller  description  of  all 
that  is  interesting  in  this  home  "  of  the  legend  and 
the  lay."  After  Sir  Walter  purchased  the  various 
subjects  which  formed  the  estate,  he  imposed  new 
names  upon  several  places.  Cauldshiels  Loch  forms 
the  south  boundary  to  the  property,  the  north  bank 
of  which  Sir  Walter  planted.  From  this  loch  rises 
a  burn,  which  pursues  its  course  through  scenes  of 
wild  beauty  to  the  Tweed  below  Darnick. 


78         the  history  and  antiquities  of 

Galtuneside* Galtonside — Gattonside. — 

The  name  of  this  place  is  thought  to  be  derived  from 
the  British  Gait,  an  ascent,  a  steep  ;  and  the  Saxon 
tun,  a  town  or  dwelling,  meaning  the  town  on  the 
steep  or  ascent  of  the  hill ;  or  it  may  be  that  some 
earlier  settler  of  the  name  of  Gait  or  Gal  gave  his 
name  to  the  place.  The  town  is  situated  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Tweed,  nearly  opposite  to  Melrose. 
This  estate  was  bounded  by  the  Tweed  on  the  south, 
by  the  Leder  on  the  east,  Fauhopeburn  and  the 
rivulet  of  "Raeburn  on  the  north,  and  the  Alwent 
on  the  west.  The  town  and  lands  of  Galtonside 
were  held  by  feuars  or  kindly  tenants,  except  those 
parts  which  were  retained  by  the  convent  in  their 
own  hands.  In  1590  a  charter  was  granted  by 
James  Douglas,  commendator  of  the  abbey,  with 
the  consent  of  his  spouse  Lady  Mary  Ker,  for  her 
liferent  right,  by  which  the  commendator,  in  con- 
sideration of  a  sum  of  money  paid  by  the  feuars  of 
Galtonside  and  West-Houses,  sold,  alienated,  and 
confirmed  them  in  the  subjects  previously  enjoyed 
by  them.  The  names  of  the  feuars  are— In  West- 
Houses,  Thomas  Darling,  senior,  Patrick  Giffen, 
Thomas  Darling,  Bartholemew  Frier,  Mark  Mer- 
ton,  William  Gotharson,  Adam  Darling,  William 
Turnbull,  and  Kobert  Darling.  In  Galtonside, 
John  Oairncross,  Bernard  Wright,  Bernard  Boston, 
John  Thomson,  junior,  John  Caimcross,  senior, 
Nicol  Boston,  William  Blackie,  Thomas  Boston, 

*  Charter  of  David  I. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  79 

senior,  Thomas  Schuilmurie,  John  Heliwell, 
Thomas  Lethan,  Quinty  Gernis,  Bagtane,  Isabel 
Cook,  John  Myles,  William  Mein,  William  Brown, 
David  Wright,  John  Donate,  Thomas  Goudie, 
William  Heliwell,  senior,  Quintine  Scot,  William 
Heliwell,  junior,  Patrick  Heliwell,  Thomas  Boston, 
John  Boston,  John  Thomson,  senior,  John  Tait, 
John  Wright,  Kobert  Boston,  George  Holme,  John 
Gilry,  James  Wright,  Richard  Wright,  William 
Hoy,  and  James  Leithen.  The  lands  are  described 
by  the  charter  as  lying  in  common,  and  bounded 
by  the  lands  of  Drygrange  on  the  east;  by  the 
Tweed  from  the  Turf-ford  to  Alwyn  water,  going 
on  the  south  side  of  Broomknowe  ;  from  the  mouth 
of  Alwyn  to  where  Blackburn  enters  that  stream  ; 
thence  by  Blackburn  to  Sillersykend ;  thence  as- 
cending to  the  east  by  the  said  syke  to  the  middle 
of  Scabbitrawburg  Moss,  and  through  the  middle 
of  the  moss  to  the  source  of  Fauhopeburn  ;  thence 
descending  the  same  to  near  Lurdane-holeford ; 
thence  southward  with  the  lands  of  Drygrange  on 
the  east,  along  the  High  Street*  to  Drycleuch-head  ; 
thence  ascending  by  said  cleuch  to  the  haugh,  and 
thence  descending  by  the  old  dykestead  to  the  Tweed 
at  the  Turf -ford.  From  this  grant  was  reserved 
the  mill  of  West-Houses  and  croft  of  land  adjacent 
thereto,  called  the  Stochilmeadow  and  Keudhinch 
meadow,  the  feuars'  land,  four  acres  of  the  lands  of 


*  This  High  Street  must  have  been  the  Watling-street, 
or  Malcholm's  Road. 


80  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Gattonside  ground,  two  acres  of  land,  with  two  houses, 
garden,  and  teind  sheaves  thereof,  then  possessed 
by  Robert  Ormston  in  West-Houses,  and  also  the 
fishing  of  the  river  Tweed,  and  the  ferry-boats  pos- 
sessed by  the  said  Eobert  Ormston  ;  reserving  also 
a  piece  of  land  occupied  by  Malcolm  Mercer  in 
Darnick  called  Boatshiel  Croft ;  two  acres  of  land 
belonging  to  James  Scott  in  Selkirk,  and  occupied 
by  Isabella  Cook  in  Gattonside,  with  the  teind 
sheaves.  Each  feu  is  separately  conveyed,  and  the 
annual  return  payable  to  the  granter  in  grain,  meal, 
money,  kain  fowls,  and  carriages.  The  whole 
amount  of  barley  is  stated  at  14  chalders,  4  bolls, 
and  3  firlots  of  the  local  measure  of  Melrose ;  oat- 
meal 15  bolls,  2  firlots,  and  2  pecks ;  capons  6,  kain 
fowls  96,  and  as  many  long  carriages;  besides 
money  payment  of  £10,  3s.  4d.,  and  carriages.  The 
f  euars  were  also  bound  to  attend  three  capital  courts 
of  the  monastery,  and  obliged  to  serve,  as  the  com- 
mendator  served,  in  public  services  of  the  king. 
The  kain  fowls  were  afterwards  converted  into  a 
money  payment  of  4d.  each,  levied  by  the  Burlaw 
men. 

In  1570  the  lands  of  Galtonside  were  divided  by 
decree  of  the  Sheriff.  They  consisted  of  753  acres 
of  outfield  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tweed,  valued 
at  £36,  9s.  6d.,  and  19  acres  of  plots  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  valued  at  £6,  13s.  6d. ;  infield 
275  acres,  of  the  value  of  £66,  19s.  A  map  of  the 
lands  was  made  by  William  Cockburn,  mathemati- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  81 

cal  teacher,  Kelso.*  Boatshielhaugh  seems  to  have 
been  purchased  by  the  feuars,  and  possessed  in  com- 
mon by  every  feuar  in  proportion  to  his  lands. 

Mr  Milne,  in  his  description  of  Melrose  parish, 
says,  that  there  was  a  chapel  at  this  place,  built  of 
hewn  stones,  many  of  which  were  used  in  the  build- 
ing of  a  house  for  the  tenant  of  the  vicarage  teinds 
of  the  lands.  It  is  doubtful  whether  there  ever 
was  a  chapel  here,  as  I  have  not  been  able  to  find 
any  trace  of  it,  and  even  Mr  Milne  does  not  advance 
any  satisfactory  grounds  for  his  statement.  Near 
the  town  was  a  place  called  the  Tithe -yard.  The 
same  authority  states  that  the  convent  had  an 
orchard  here  of  five  acres,  a  meadow  called  the 
Cellerist-meadow,  and  another  called  the  Abbot's 
meadow. 

West  Houses. — Originally  a  part  of  the  lands  of 
Gattonside,  and  of  old  a  possession  of  a  family  of 
Ormston,  who  also  possessed  Old  Melrose,  the 
tower  of  West  Houses  stood  on  the  high  ground  to 
the  east  of  Alwyn  water,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
present  turnpike  road,  and  to  the  west  of  the  cross- 
road. It  was  a  square  tower,  and  had  very  thick 
walls,  with  gun  holes.  The  name  of  Ormston  was 
on  the  principal  gate,  and  the  date  158 l.f 

*  MS.  Record  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Roxburghshire. 

fMr  Milne  says,  that  "George  Ormston,  late  hangman 
in  Edinburgh,  was  a  cadet  of  this  family,  if  not  the  repre- 
sentative of  it ;  a  memorandum  to  old  families  not  to  be 
puffed  up  with  pride  on  account  of  their  antiquity,  for  they 
F 


82  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

After  Lord  Somerville  acquired  the  property,  and 
the  formation  of  his  new  residence,  the  tower  was 
taken  down  about  fifty  years  ago.     There  was  a 
small  hamlet  or  village,  with  a  green  in  its  centre, 
through  the  middle  of  which  the  old  public  road 
ran,  on  the  site  of  the  present  garden  of  the  Pavilion. 
In  1734,  Thomas,  Earl  of  Haddington,  sold  West 
Houses  to  Thomas  Douglas,  brother  of  Douglas  of 
Cavers.     In  1759,  Hugh  Scott  of  Gala  acquired  it 
from  the  trustees  of  Mr  Douglas.     From  the  Scotts 
it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Benjamin  Bell,  surgeon 
in  Edinburgh,  who  sold  it,  Easter  Langlee,  and 
Gateside  to  John  fourth  Lord  Somerville.      Mr 
Bell  had  projected  the  erection  of  a  large  mansion 
on  West  Houses,  with  corresponding  stables,  coach- 
houses, and  other  offices.     At  the  time  of  the  sale 
he  had  nearly  completed  the  latter,  but  had  not 
commenced  the  mansion-house.     Lord  Somerville 
got  the  plans  of  the  whole  projected  buildings,  but 
as  he  had  no  desire  to  complete  them  on  such  an 
extensive  scale  as  was  there  indicated,  wishing  to 
have  only  a  moderate  sized  shooting-box,  he  was 
somewhat  puzzled  what  to  do  with  the  unnecessary 
large  offices,  and  at  last  resolved  to  form  part  of 
them  into  a  mansion,  which  he  did  by  raising  the 
walls  and  making  other  alterations,  and  the  result 
is  the  present  house,  to  which,  however,  several 

know  not  what  mean  offices  they  or  theirs  may  not  be 
obliged  to  stoop  to." 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  83 

additions  have  been  made.  His  Lordship,  when 
he  made  the  purchase,  had  an  office  at  the  court  of 
George  III.,  and  was  a  great  favourite  both  with 
his  Majesty  and  with  the  Queen,  being  a  nobleman 
of  high  character  and  most  polished  manners. 
Happening  to  show  the  plan  to  the  Queen,  and  at 
same  time  expressing  some  hesitation  as  to  the 
name  to  be  given  to  the  mansion,  her  Majesty 
observed,  that  as  the  elevation  to  the  offices,  which 
had  a  clock  tower  in  the  centre,  and  showed  a 
handsome  facade,  was  quite  like  a  pavilion,  his 
lordship  should  just  call  it  The  Pavilion  ;  and 
called  so  it  was. 

The  situation  of  the  Pavilion  is  beautiful,  and 
commands  a  fine  view  of  the  vale  of  Tweed.* 

The  estate  of  Langlee  lies  to  the  west  of  the 
Alwyn  water.  It  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
monks  till  1542,  when  the  following  precept  was 
addressed  by  James  V.  to  the  bailie  of  the  abbey : — 
"  It  is  our  will,  and  we  charge  you  that  you  incon- 
tent  after  the  sight  hereof,  remove  the  goods  being 
upon  the  steading  of  Langley,  pertaining  to  our 
said  abbey  of  the  same,  and  enter  James  Hoppringle, 
son  to  George  Hoppringle,  of  Tandlaw,  thereto, 
and  put  his  goods  upon  the  same,  to  be  bruiked  by 
him  in  time  coming,  and  that  ye  keep  and  defend 
him  there  intil  as  ye  will  answer  to  us  thereupon 
at  your  luter'  charge,  and  under  the  pain  of  tin- 

*  For  an  account  of  the  family  of  Somerville,  see  vol.  iii. 
p.  219,  et  seq. 


84  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

sale  of  your  office  of  bailierie  of  our  said  abbey,  for 
it  is  our  will  that  he  bruik  the  said  stead  for  his 
good,  true,  and  thankful  service  done  by  him  to  us, 
in  the  taking  and  bringing  of  James  Douglas, 
sometime  of  Parkhead,  our  rebel,  and  at  our  home, 
to  us  at  the  last  raid  made  by  the  Englishmen  on 
our  leiges,  keeping  this  our  writing  for  your 
warrant,  subscribed  with  our  hand  and  under  our 
signet,  at  Edinburgh,  the  last  day  of  August,  and  of 
our  reign  the  xxix.  year.     James  R."* 

In  1630  the  east  side  of  Langley  was  possessed 
by  Cairncross  of  Cumbesley  and  Mitchell,  valued 
in  the  taxt  roll  of  the  abbey  at  £568,  and  paid  a 
duty  of  £5  sterling.  In  the  end  of  last  century  it 
belonged  to  the  family  of  Bell,  and  acquired,  as 
already  noticed,  by  Lord  Somerville  from  Dr  Bell 
in  1803. 

Drygrange. — On  the  east  of  the  lands  of  Gat- 
tonside,  as  described  in  the  charter  of  Douglas  to 
the  feuars,  above  referred  to,  lie  the  lands  of  Dry- 
grange,  bounded  by  the  Tweed  on  the  south,  the 
Leder  on  the  east,  Fauhopeburn  on  the  north,  and 
by  the  lands  of  Gattonside  on  the  west.  It  was 
included  under  the  original  boundary  of  Gattonside 
estate,  and  was  long  held  by  the  monks  in  their 
own  occupation.  The  first  time  the  name  Dry- 
grange  is  seen,  is  in  the  charter  of  Douglas  to  the 
feuars  of  Gattonside  in  1590.     In  the  Book  of  Mel- 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  ii.  p.  Gil. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  85 

ros  the  name  Grange  only  appears.*  Mr  Milne, 
in  his  work  on  the  parish,  says  that  "  Fordun 
gives  us  an  account  of  two  granges  in  this  parish, 
one  called  Heldwii  or  perhaps  Hardwii,  from 
whence  the  place  has  taken  the  name  Drygrange, 
and  the  other  at  Gattonside."  But  this  is  a  mis- 
take, as  the  granges  referred  to  by  Fordun,  where 
Waltheof  performed  the  miracle  attributed  to  him, 
were  Eildun  and  Gattonside.  According  to  the 
Chronicle,  on  one  occasion,  during  a  severe  famine, 
four  thousand  starving  people  resorted  to  the  monas- 
tery for  food,  many  of  whom  built  huts  in  the  fields 
and  woods  near  Melros.  At  that  time,  the  stock 
of  corn  in  the  granaries  of  the  convent  was  low, 
scarcely  sufficient  for  their  own  subsistence  till 
harvest.  Tyna,  the  cellarer,  proposed  to  kill  their 
cattle  to  feed  them,  but  to  do  so  would  have  been 
ruinous  to  their  agriculture  for  the  future.  The 
convent  met  to  take  the  state  of  the  starving  poor 
into  consideration,  but  were  unable  to  devise  means 
to  meet  the  emergency.  At  length  Waltheof  rose 
and  desired  Tyna  to  accompany  him  to  the  gra- 
naries of  the  monastery.  They  went  first  to  Eil- 
dun, where  the  abbot  entered  the  granary,  and 
having  struck  his  staff  into  a  heap  of  wheat  which 
was  lying  there,  prayed  for  a  blessing  upon  it. 
They  then  went  to  Gattonside,  and  the  abbot  hav- 
ing in  like  manner  blessed  a  heap  of  rye  lying  in 

*  Vol.  i.  p.  94. 


86  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  granary  for  the  use  of  the  servants  and  of  the 
convent,  he  commanded  that  daily  rations  should 
be  served  out  to  the  starving  poor.  For  three 
months  the  multitude  was  fed  from  the  heaps  of 
wheat  and  rye  till  the  corn  in  the  fields  was  ripe. 
In  the  reign  of  James  V.,  David  Lithgow  got  a 
charter  of  the  lands  for  special  services  in  resisting 
depredations  in  the  regality.*  At  the  Reformation 
the  convent  was  in  possession  of  the  lands,  and 
they  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Earl  of  Hadding- 
ton. The  lands  again  returned  to  the  family  of 
Lithgow.  About  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
the  property  belonged  to  the  family  of  Maclaurin, 
and  are  now  in  possession  of  Thomas  Tod. 

The  Mansion-house  occupies  a  beautiful  situa- 
tion between  the  Tweed  and  Leder,  overlooking 
scenes  of  rare  beauty. 

Fauhope. — Between  1153  and  1165,  the  lands 
of  Fauhope  were  granted  to  the  convent  by  Wil- 
liam de  Lindsay,  who  held  Ercildon  and  other 
manors  in  Lauderdale. f  The  situation  of  this 
town  cannot  be  ascertained,  but  the  lands  were 
bounded  on  the  south  by  the  estate  of  Gattonside. 
The  burn  of  Fauhope  seems  to  have  been  the 
boundary  between  the  two  lands.     It  is  probable 


*  Milne's  Melrose. 

t  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  11.     "Fauhope    sicut  aqua 
Led  re  vadit  et  sicut  sepis  includit." 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  87 

that  the  grant  extended  northwards  as  far  as  the 
bounds  of  Cadisley.  When  William  the  Lion 
confirmed  to  the  convent  all  their  lands  and  pri- 
vileges, Fauhope  is  not  specially  included,  which 
would  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  on  the  retire- 
ment of  the  Lindsays  from  the  banks  of  Leder, 
the  lands  were  claimed  by  the  Earls  of  Dunbar. 
This  is  the  more  probable,  as  the  rights  to  the 
pasturage  of  the  lands  between  Fauhopeburn  and 
Cadisley,  and  the  Leder  and  Malcholm's  road, 
formed  the  subject  of  dispute  between  the  monks 
and  Gospatric,  and  which  was  settled  in  favour  of 
the  former.  After  this  settlement,  the  Earl,  of  his 
own  free  will,  granted  a  charter  of  the  lands,  in- 
cluding Sorroles-field,  which  was  confirmed  by 
the  king.  The  family  of  Lindsay  originally  be- 
longed to  Essex,  and  the  name  is  derived  from  the 
manor  of  that  name  belonging  to  them.  One  of 
these  Lindsays  attached  himself  to  Earl  David  be- 
fore he  ascended  the  throne,  and  accompanied  him 
to  Scotland.  Walter  de  Lindsay  was  a  witness  to 
the  Inquisitio  Davidis  in  1116 ;  he  also  witnessed 
the  charter  to  the  monks  of  Selkirk,  and  other 
charters  of  the  same  prince.  He  was  also  a  wit- 
ness to  a  charter  of  Earl  Henry.  This  William 
de  Lindsay,  who  made  a  grant  of  Fauhope  to  the 
monks,  was  the  brother  of  Walter  de  Lindsay. 
His  son  William  acted  as  Justiciary  of  Lothian 
from  1189  to  1199.  The  family  had  lands  in 
Clydesdale,  the  two  Lothians,  and  in  Berwickshire. 


88  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Kedpath. — This  grange,  which  was  granted  to 
the  convent,  is  described  in  the  charters  as  lying 
between  the  lands  of  Ercildon  on  the  north,  and 
the  lands  of  Hage  of  Bemerside  on  the  east. 
During  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
Hage  attempted  to  take  possession  of  a  piece  of  ara- 
ble land  which  lay  adjacent  to  Bemerside,  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  common  property.  On  17th  De- 
cember 1416,  Archibald,  Earl  of  Douglas,  issued  a 
letter  to  "  all  the  sons  of  our  holy  mother  church," 
regarding  the  controversy  which  had  arisen  between 
the  abbot  and  convent  of  Melros,  and  "  ane  honor- 
able sqwhair,  John  the  Hage,  laird  of  Bemerside," 
as  to  the  right  to  a  certain  piece  of  land  within  the 
mains  of  Kedpath,  opposite  to  the  mains  of  Bemer- 
side, claimed  by  Hage  to  be  common  to  both 
places,  and  which  discord  he  thought  he  would 
have  settled,  but  was  prevented  by  high  and  great 
business  which  he  had  on  hand.  But,  "at  our 
special  instance  and  hesy  request,  the  said  abbot, 
and  also  desiring  their  great  right  and  just  claim 
should  be  made  clearly  known  to  all  manner  of 
men,  and  now  has  removed  their  ploughs  from  the 
said  lands  to  the  fest  of  Fasteneen  next  after 
following  the  date  of  these  letters,  we  undertaking 
to  the  abbot  and  convent  that  the  said  removing 
of  their  ploughs  at  our  request  should  not  be  to  the 
prejudice  of  the  convent  in  time  to  come ;  and  in 
case  we  do  not  occupy  the  land  otherways,  it  shall 
be  lawful  to  the  said  abbot  and  convent,  or  their 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  89 

assignees  in  that  part,  to  put  again  their  ploughs 
to  the  said  lands  and  to  labor  as  it  may  most 
profit  them  at  their  own  liking  without  '  lagar ' 
delay  upon  the  morn  next  the  said  Fasteneen,  the 
said  party  nor  no  other  man  making  them  impede- 
ment,  grief,  harm,  or  molestation."  This  letter 
was  written  at  Gallowshiels.  The  Earl  not  having 
occupied  the  lands,  let  the  same  "  to  borch"  to  the 
abbot  on  May  1418.  The  lands  were  confirmed 
by  Douglas  in  July  following.  The  laird  of 
Bemerside  still  continuing  to  molest  the  convent 
in  their  occupation  of  said  lands,  the  chapter  met 
in  1422  and  solemnly  excommunicated  "  John 
Hage,  laird  of  Bemerside,  Gilbert  Hage,  his  son 
and  heir,  David  Hage,  son  of  the  said  John,  John 
Hage  of  "Trarouny"  Grange,  John  the  son  of 
Walter  Hage,"  and  others.*  The  Earl  of  Douglas 
summoned  an  assize  to  meet  on  the  lands  on 
November  16,  1425,  to  perambulate  and  fix  the 
marches  between  the  monastery  and  Bemerside. 
The  assize  chosen  was  James  Bothirford,  John  of 
Newton,  James  of  Ormston,  "  Sandris  "  of  Murray, 
John  of  Lidale,  George  of  Hoppringle,  Alexander 
of  Hoppringle,  John  of  Elfinston,  William  Turn- 
bull,  John  Thomson  of  Mersington,  John  of  Bothir- 
ford, Paton  Hog,  and  Gilbert  Hog.  Each  party 
laid  their  claims  before  the  assize,  and  after  the 
examination  of  a  number  of  witnesses,  the  follow- 

*  Lib.  dc  Melros,  vol.  ii.  p.  542. 


90  THE   HISTORY   AND    ANTIQUITIES    OF 

ing  march  was  determined, — "  beginning  from  the 
chyldwell  above,  passing  up  to  the  middle  of  the 
tkrepleche*  to  the  standan-stane,  and  from  the 
standan-stane  down  the  syke  to  the  middle  of  the 
ford  of  Helden,  and  so  passing  down  the  middle  of 
the  burn  running  above  the  brae  and  the  dyke,  which 
brae  and  dyke  had  sometimes  a  gate  closing  and 
opening  for  the  carriage  of  timber  to  the  building 
of  the  house  of  Dryburgh,  and  so  from  that  gate 
to  the  '  Hekkerstane '  cross."  To  this  verdict  was 
hung  the  seal  of  Douglas,  together  with  the  seals  of 
the  assize,  t  The  lairds  of  Bemerside  seem  to  have 
been  old  offenders  against  the  convent.  In  the 
reign  of  Alexander  III.,  Peter  de  Hage  granted  a 
charter  to  the  convent,  which  proceeds  upon  the 
narrative  that  for  certain  transgressions  committed 
against  it,  he  had  bound  himself  to  deliver  to  them 
ten  salmon  yearly,  five  fresh  and  five  kippered,  but 
such  a  payment  being  deemed  ruinous,  the  convent 
had  taken  pity  on  him,  and  agreed  to  take  in  lieu 
of  it  half  a  stone  of  wax,  to  light  the  chapel  of  St 
Cuthbert  at  Old  Mailros,  under  the  penalty  of 
thirty-seven  pence.  The  witnesses  to  this  curious 
deed  are  Oliver,  the  abbot  of  Dryburg,  Lord 
William  of  Burudim,  Knight,  Hugh  de  Perisbi, 
the  English  Sheriff  of  Roxburghshire,  William  de 
Hatteley,  and  M  Thorn.  Eimor.  de  Ercildun,"'  and 

*  Threp^te. 

t  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  ii.  pp.  513,  514. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  91 

others.*  This  deed  is  instructive  as  to  the  number 
of  salmon  in  the  river.  They  must  have  been 
scarce  indeed,  when  a  penalty  of  ten  salmon  a  year 
was  considered  ruinous  to  a  great  landed  pro- 
prietor, whose  estate  was  in  part  bounded  by  the 
river.f 

On  the  north  the  monastery  found  the  Homes — 
who  obtained  the  Barony  of  Ercildon — as  trouble- 
some neighbours  as  the  Hages  on  the  east.  After 
the  death  of  James  Douglas,  Commendator,  John 
Home  of  Coldingknowes  crossed  the  Leder  and 
took  possession  of  the  pasture  lands  opposite  to 
Ercildon,  ploughed  the  same,  and  molested  the 
tenants  of  the  abbey.  In  1559  the  convent  met 
and  set  forth  their  grievances  in  a  protest,  "  being 
constrained  through  extreme  need  thereof,  and 
through  "inlak"  of  ane  master  to  defend  them  by 
order  of  justice,  and  "  through  great  perturbation 
within  the  realm,"  to  follow  that  course  to  preserve 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  298,  299. 

t  The  progenitor  of  the  Hages  settled  in  Tweedside  as 
a  vassal  of  the  constable  Morville,  and  held  the  lands  of 
Bemerside  under  that  family  and  their  successors,  the  Lords 
of  Galloway.  Thomas  Rimer,  who  witnessed  the  charter, 
is  said  to  have  prophesied  that  there  would  always  be  a 
Hage  in  Bemerside,  but  the  present  line  has  ended  in  two 
females,  and  it  is  more  than  doubtful  if  the  ancient  name 
will  continue  much  longer  in  connection  with  the  lands. 
The  estate  was  anciently  bounded  by  Redpath  on  the 
north  and  the  Tweed  on  the  south,  with  the  exception  of 
the  grants  to  the  abbey  of  Dryburgb. 


92  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

their  rights  and  privileges.  The  document  bears 
testimony  of  the  sad  state  to  which  the  once 
powerful  convent  was  reduced  to  at  this  time. 
Although  the  Homes  kept  possession  of  the  lands 
for  some  time,  they  were  recovered  by  the  Earl  of 
Haddington,  by  whom  they  were  sold  to  Alexander 
Fisher,  a  cadet  of  the  family  of  the  Fishers  of 
Darnick. 

Cumbesley. — The  name  of  this  place  is  from  the 
Celtic  camus,  the  bend  of  a  water,  and  the  Saxon 
ley  from  leag,  a  pasture, — descriptive  of  the  pastur- 
ages on  the  bend  of  the  Alwent.  The  name  cor- 
rectly describes  the  locality,  as  few  streams  have  as 
many  bends  as  this  little  river.  Malcolm  IV., 
when  he  confirmed  the  preceding  grants,  added  a 
portion  of  land  in  the  lower  part  of  Cumbesley  for 
building  a  cow-house  and  a  fold.*  For  many  years 
the  convent  kept  all  the  lands  on  this  side  of  the 
Tweed  in  their  own  hands,  for  the  pasturage  of 
their  cattle  and  sheep.  Pasture  ranges  were  of  great 
value  in  the  early  days,  owing  to  the  anxiety  of  the 
owners  of  the  land  to  preserve  the  solitude  and 
quiet  necessary  for  the  encouragement  of  the  deer. 
In  several  of  the  grants  of  pasturage,  it  is  expressly 
provided  that  moveable  folds  and  lodges  for  the 
shepherds  shall  accompany  the  flocks  of  the  mon- 
astery, so  as  to  avoid  any  permanent  building  or 
settlement  within  the  forest.     When  Richard  de 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  6. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  93 

Morville,  the  great  constable,  and  his  son  William, 
granted  to  the  monks  a  site  in  the  forest  for  a  cow- 
house or   sheep-fold,  they  were   prohibited   from 
having  more  than  one  house  in  which  they  might 
light  a  fire  for  the  brethren  and  their  shepherds, 
and  for  a  hay-shed ;  but  on  condition  that  they 
should  make  no  other  lodges  within  it,  but  their 
shepherds  to  have  wattled  cots  for  shelter  while 
tending  their  cattle.*     In  an  agreement  between 
the  same  parties,  the  Constable  reserved  the  game 
on  the  estate  of  Threpwood,  and  the  right  to  keep 
a  forester  for  its  protection,  and  the  abbey  its  for- 
ester for  preserving  the  wood  and  pasture,  and  for 
injury  done,  damages  were  to  be  given  to  the  con- 
vent.f     On  every  side  the  monks  were  surrounded 
by  the  territories  of  great  lords,  jealous  of  any  en- 
croachment on  the  rights  of  the  forest,  and  even 
attempting  to   get    the   better   of   grants   which 
they  or  their  predecessors  had  given  to  the  abbey. 
In  the  course  of  time,  however,  the  convent,  through 
the  favour  of  the  kings,  obtained  the  full  use  of  the 
land,  built  houses  thereon  for  the  accommodation  of 
their  servants  and  flocks,  and  brought  parts  of  it 
under  cultivation.     Ere  long  the  convent  granted 
feus,  and  a  powerful  body  of  vassals  arose,  ready  to 
defend  the  property  of  St  Mary's  when  occasion 
rendered  it  necessary. 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  95. 
t  lb.  vol.  i.  p.  102. 


94  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

In  the  sixteenth  century  Cumbesley  was  in  the 
possession  of  a  family  of  Cairncross,  one  of  whom 
was  Bishop  of  Ross,  treasurer  and  abbot  of  Holy- 
rood  House  in  the  reign  of  James  V. ;  another 
Archbishop  of  Glasgow,  and  after  the  Revolution, 
Bishop  of  Ralpho  in  Ireland.  The  ruins  of  the 
tower  built  by  Cairncross  stand  on  the  west  side  of 
the  water.  The  arms  of  the  family,  a  stag's  head 
cras'd,  were  to  be  seen  over  the  door.  It  is  the 
head  of  the  stag  that  is  now  fixed  in  the  wall  of 
the  new  farm-house,  which  has  been  built  with 
stones  taken  out  of  the  old  tower.  The  tower  is  of 
a  square  form,  large,  and  of  great  strength.  The 
free-stones  around  the  windows  and  door  have  been 
torn  out  to  build  houses,  and  the  walls  have  been 
used  as  a  quarry.  It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that 
the  owners  of  the  fine  old  towers  which  stud  the 
border  land  should  demolish  them,  rather  than  go 
to  a  neighbouring  quarry  for  stone  to  build  farm- 
offices.  The  work  of  destruction  is  first  begun 
with  the  free-stones  around  the  windows  and  doors, 
and  ends  in  the  walls  being  used  as  a  quarry  for  all 
purposes.  It  often  happens  that  the  tenacity  with 
which  the  stones  hold  together,  costs  the  owner 
more  than  if  he  had  opened  a  quarry  in  the  hillside. 
When  I  examined  this  tower,  my  attention  was 
directed  to  the  peculiar  kind  of  sand  with  which 
the  lime  had  been  mixed  in  building  it.  It  has 
every  appearance  of  sea  sand,  and  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
conjecture  where  it  was  obtained  in  the  district. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  95 

A  little  to  the  south  of  this  tower  stand  the  ruins 
of  another  strong  house  called  Hillslap,  which 
belonged  to  the  same  family  of  Cairncross.  It  is 
an  improvement  on  the  old  square  tower  of  Cum- 
besley.  On  the  lintel  over  the  door  at  the  north 
angle  is  inscribed  N.  C.  1585,  F.  I.  Milne  states 
that  Cairncross  of  Hillslap  "is  the  undoubted 
representative  of  this  ancient  family  since  the  death 
of  Alexander  Cairncross,  Archbishop  of  Glasgow/' 
The  present  proprietor,  Mr  Paterson,  Galashiels, 
has  given  to  this  tower  and  the  lands  the  classic 
name  of  Glendearg. 

Tradition  has  it  that  a  chapel  and  its  accom- 
panying grave-yard  stood  in  a  field  between  the 
farm  onstead  of  Cumbesley  and  the  road  on  the 
north.  Two  trees  are  said  to  mark  the  limits  of 
the  chapel  and  cemetery.  The  ruins  of  the  little 
church  were  to  be  seen  about  the  middle  of  the 
last  century. 

At  the  Reformation  the  lands  of  Cumbesley  were 
possessed  by  Pringle  of  Torwoodlee  and  Cairncross. 
They  were  afterwards  held  by  families  of  the  name 
of  Hunter,  Scott,  Lawson,  and  Lithgow,  in  succes- 
sion.    Mitchell  Innes  of  Stow  is  now  the  owner. 

A  little  to  the  north  is  Cumbesliehill,  the  Cum- 
besliecnol  of  the  charters.  Near  this  place  once 
stood  the  Bent  Mill,  probably  the  upper  mill  of 
Cumbesley.  Here  a  small  clump  of  natural  wood, 
consisting  chiefly  of  birches,  is  still  to  be  seen, 
and  which  is   thought  to  be  a  remnant  of  the 


DG  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

old  forest  of  Wedale.  In  1630,  Murray  of  Oak- 
wood  possessed  this  property.  The  lands  after- 
wards passed  into  the  name  of  Hog.  They  are 
now  owned  by  Mitchell  Innes.  While  treating  of 
this  part  of  the  parish,  Mr  Milne  says,  "  at  Hillslap 
there  is  a  road  called  the  Abbey-gate.  Pilgrims 
being  continually  travelling  to  and  from  Melrose, 
because  it  was  one  of  the  four  pilgrimages  in  Scot- 
land." But  I  am  doubtful  if  this  view  be  correct, 
and  inclined  to  believe  that  this  road  derived  its 
name  of  Abbey- gate  from  its  being  the  gate  or  road 
to  the  granges  of  the  abbey  of  Melros.  It  could 
not  be  the  road  to  Mailros. 

Langshaw. — Is  situated  en  the  east  bank  of  the 
A 1  went,  opposite  to  Cumbesley.  It  is  thought  by 
several  writers  that  the  etymology  of  the  name  is 
to  be  found  in  the  Cambro-British  Llan,  signify- 
ing an  inclosure,  a  church  ;  and  shaw,  wood, — the 
church  in  the  woods.  From  the  name  not  being 
met  with  at  an  early  period,  leads  to  belief  that 
the  name  is  descriptive  of  the  woods  at  that  parti- 
cular place.  The  ruins  of  the  old  mansion  of  the 
barony  are  still  to  be  seen,  and  show  it  to  have 
been  of  considerable  dimensions.  The  gardens  can 
still  be  traced,  and  from  a  number  of  old  trees  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  it  would  appear  that  the 
house  has  been  surrounded  with  wood.  Langshaw, 
and  the  mill  thereof,  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
monks  till  the  Reformation.  At  that  period,  the 
lands  and  mill,  with  the  east  raik  of  Woolhouse- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  97 

byres,  were  valued  in  the  rent  roll  of  the  abbey  at 
£18.  In  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the 
Pringles  of  Whytbank  possessed  the  lands.  In 
1621,  Lord  Patrick  Murray  of  Elibank  was  served 
heir  to  Gideon  Murray  of  Elibank,  in  the  town*  and 
lands  of  Langshaw.  In  1650,  his  son  Patrick  suc- 
ceeded to  the  lands.  In  1690,  the  lands  were  in 
the  hands  of  Walter  Scott.  Five  years  after, 
Thomas  Scott  was  served  heir  to  his  father  in  the 
lands  and  barony  of  Langshaw,  the  town  and  lands 
of  Blainslie,  and  the  pendicle  of  the  same  called 
Broadwoodshiel,  with  the  customs  thereof,  f  Prom 
the  Scotts,  the  barony  passed  to  James  Nicolson  of 
Trabrun,  who,  with  the  consent  of  his  wife  and 
son,  sold  the  same  in  1703  to  George  Baillie  of 
Jerviswoode  and  Mellerstain,  who  was  at  that  time 
one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury.  He  was  the 
son  of  Robert  who  was  beheaded,  and  was  married 
to  Lady  Grizel  Home.  The  barony  still  remains 
in  this  family. 

Mr  Baillie  built  a  shooting-box  upon  the  property, 
near  to  the  old  house,  with  the  following  inscrip- 
tion over  the  door: — "  Utinam  hanc  etiam  viris 
impleam  amicis" — "  a  modest  wish"  says  Sir  Wal- 
ter Scott,  in  his  introduction  to  the  "  Monastery," 
"  which  I  know  no  one  more  capable  of  attaining  on 
an  extended  scale  than  the  gentleman  who  has  ex- 
pressed it  upon  a  limited  one."  His  son,  the  present 
Earl  of  Haddington,  now  enjoys  the  barony. 

♦Retours,  No.  112.  f  Eetours,  No.  200. 

G 


98  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

During  the  last  year,  a  new  and  commodious 
school-house  was  built  here  by  subscription.  The 
schoolmaster  has  a  salary  of  £3  a  year,  being  the 
interest  of  a  sum  of  1000  merks,  mortified  in  1759  by 
Mr  Eobert  Moffat  of  Threpwude,  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  a  schoolmaster  in  that  quarter  of  the 
parish.* 

Moss  houses. — This  place  stood  a  little  to  the 
east  of  Langshaw.  The  name  describes  its  situa- 
tion at  the  moss.  It  consisted  of  a  number  of  good 
houses  belonging  to  f  euars  of  the  name  of  Notman ; 
but  a  modern  farm-house  and  onstead  now  occupy 
the  site  of  this  ancient  village. 

Threpwude  f — This  territory,  with  Aleivent- 
chawis,  %  was  given  by  Alan  the  Constable,  the  son 
of  Koland,  to  the  monks,  between  1165  and  1214. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  years  disputes  arose  with 
their  neighbours,  who  enjoyed  rights  of  forest  and 
pasture  in  the  land  between  the  Leader  and  Gala. 
In  1180  King  William  settled  a  controversy  be- 
tween them  and  Kichard  the  Constable,  whereby  the 
monks  were  to  enjoy  the  whole  rights  of  wood  and 
pasture  within  certain  limits ;  and  when  Richard 
quit-claimed  to  them  this  territory,  reserved  to 
himself  the  game  of  Threpwude,  and  the  right  to 
have  a  keeper  there  for  its  protection.  The  monks 
were  allowed  to  have  a  forester  at  Threpwude  for 

*  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  ix.  p.  86. 
f  Charters  of  Allan  the  Constable. 
X  Allanshaws. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  99 

preservation  of  the  wood  and  pasture  land.  For 
injury  done  to  the  trees  the  monks  were  to  have 
the  tregild  or  penalty,  and  Moreville  the  usual 
forfeit.*  The  convent  seems  also  to  have  kept  a 
bailiff  at  Threpwude,  as  his  fee  appears  in  the 
accounts  of  the  revenues  and  expenses  of  the  abbey. 
In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  this 
territory  was  possessed  by  the  Earl  of  Haddington. 
Several  feuars  of  the  name  of  Moffat  occupied  part 
of  the  town  of  Threpwude,  and  one  of  them  pos- 
sessed the  easter  town  till  the  end  of  last  century. 
It  is  now  owned  by  Charles  Simson.  At  the 
Reformation  the  lands  were  valued  at  £32.  In 
the  taxt  roll,  the  possessions  of  the  feuars  of  Threp- 
wude and  Newhouse,  are  stated  as  being  worth 
400  merks,  and  paying  a  feu-duty  of  £36. 

Wooplaw  and  Allanshaws  remained  in  the 
hands  of  the  monks  till  the  Eeformation.  In  the 
taxt  roll  of  the  abbey,  made  up  for  the  relief  of  the 
Earl  of  Haddington  in  1630,  the  lands  are,  along 
with  west  side  of  Langlee,  entered  as  being  worth 
£1535,  6s.  8d.,  and  paying  a  duty  of  £11,  6s.  8d. 
The  lands  of  Wooplaw  have  been  possessed  for  a 
long  time  by  a  family  of  Murray,  the  ancestor  of 
whom  was  a  landed  proprietor  in  Perthshire. 
When  the  Earl  of  Glencairn  raised  an  army  in 
support  of  Charles  II.,  Murray  joined  him  with  a 
number  of  followers,  and  was  appointed  to  a  com- 

•  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  100-102. 


100  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

mand.  Of  this  army  General  Middleton  was  made 
commander-in-chief,  and  he,  with  the  Earl  of  Glen- 
cairn,  was  shortly  after  defeated  by  one  of  Crom- 
well's generals.  An  amnesty  was  granted  to  all 
excepting  the  men  raised  by  Glencairn ;  and  Murray 
being  obliged  to  fly,  came  to  this  district,  and  pur- 
chased Wooplaw  and  other  lands  in  Berwickshire. 
Allanshaws  is  the  property  of  James  Scott. 

Blainslie.* — The  name  of  this  place  is  derived 
from  the  Celtic  blaen,  high,  and  the  Saxon  lie,  from 
leag,  pasture, — descriptive  of  the  pasturages  on 
the  high  ground.  There  were  originally  three 
villages  situated  on  or  near  to  the  Watling  Street, 
on  its  course  north,  occupied  by  the  men  and  ten- 
ants of  the  convent.  At  the  Keformation,  the 
lands  were  entered  in  the  rent  roll  of  the  abbey  at 
£45,  and  iu  the  roll  made  up  in  1630,  the  town 
lands  of  Blainslies  are  valued  at  £1645,  and  pay- 
ing a  feu-duty  of  £45.  The  feuars  noticed  in  con- 
nection with  this  place  at  the  end  of  last  century, 
are  Cameron,  Gray,  Simson,  Martin,  Bomanes, 
Thomson,  Bobertson,  Laidlaw,  Usher,  Pringle, 
Mackenzie,  Stirling,  and  Stevenson.  Mr  Milne, 
in  his  description  of  the  parish,  says,  that  "  there 
are  several  feuars  here  of  long  standing,  particu- 
larly the  Thynnes,  who  have  perhaps  been  descended 
from  the  Botevilles  in  England,  one  of  whom  was 


*  Lib.  de  Melros,  King  William's  Charter,  p.  81.     Char- 
ter of  the  Morevilles. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  101 

called  Tom  at  the  lime,  and  his  posterity  had 
their  surname  contracted  into  Thynne."  About  a 
mile  from  the  Blainslies  on  the  march,  stood  Chield- 
helles  Chapel,  said  by  Milne  to  have  been  built  of 
hewn  stone.  In  the  "  Origines  Parochiales,"  it  is 
said  there  existed  in  this  locality  two  chapels,  one 
"  the  chapel  of  St  Mary  of  the  Park,  which  stood 
in  a  detached  portion  of  the  parish  of  Lauder, 
locally  within  Melrose,  and  Chieldhelles  Chapel  at 
Blainslie."  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  learned 
editor  of  the  work  referred  to  has  committed  a 
mistake,  and  that  the  two  chapels  are  one  and  the 
same.  This  chapel  is  on  the  line  of  the  Watling 
Street,  which  is  described  in  the  grant  of  the  Con- 
stable  as  the  great  causeway  which  descends  from 
Windeslaw  to  Lauder,  "and  as  the  great  causeway 
which  goes  from  Lauder  to  Birkenside."  * 

Blainslie  was  one  of  the  oldest  Granges.  About 
1180  Richard  de  Morville  granted  liberty  to  the 
monks  to  plough  and  sow  in  the  plain  of  Blainslie, 
wherever  there  was  open  ground,  but  they  were  pro- 
hibited from  clearing  away  any  more  of  the  forest. 
Till  recently  this  place  was  celebrated  for  growing 
fine  oats,  which  were  carried  for  seed  to  most 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  some  of  them  beyond 
London.  They  were  regarded,  says  Milne,  not  so 
much  for  their  whiteness,  as  for  their  earliness  and 
increase.     They  were  commonly  sold  three  or  four 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  p.  81-100. 


102  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

shillings  per  boll  above  the  ordinary  rate  of  the 
market. 

Broadwoodshiel,  of  old  the  possession  of  the 
Hunters,  and  afterwards  of  the  Kers,  and  Fair- 
bairns,  and  Scotts,  stood  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Leder.  From  the  family  of  Scott,  it  passed  to 
Baillie  of  Jerviswoode  and  Mellerstain.  It  is  called 
"  the  pendicle  "  in  the  Ketours. 

Witelei,*  WHYTLY,t  Whitelee. — This  place  is 
situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Gala.  In  the  reign 
of  William  the  Lion,  Kichard  de  Moreville,  the 
Constable,  and  William,  his  son  and  heir,  while 
confirming  the  grants  of  their  predecessor,  gave  to 
the  convent  a  place  in  Witelei,  within  the  margin  of 
the  forest,  on  which  to  erect  a  cowhouse  for  a  hun- 
dred cows,  or  a  sheep-house,  whichever  they  thought 
best  or  of  most  use,  to  be  held  and  possessed  by 
them  for  ever ;  one  house  in  which  the  brethren 
may  make  a  fire  for  themselves  and  shepherds,  and 
a  hay  shed ;  but  these  grants  were  made  on  the 
condition  that  they  should  make  no  other  lodges 
within  the  forest,  but  their  shepherds  to  have  wattled 
cots  (claias  wiscatas)  for  shelter  while  herding  their 
flocks .%  In  1630  the  lands  of  "  Hackburn,  Whytly, 
and  Whytliedykes,"  were  possessed  by  a  family  of 


*  Charter  of  Richard  de  Moreville,  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i. 
p.  95. 

t  Taxt-roll  of  Abbey,  1630. 

%  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  pp.  95-96. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  103 

the  name  of  Hunter,  and  entered  in  the  taxt-roll  as 
being  worth  £679, 15s.,  and  as  paying  feu  and  tack 
duty  of  20  merks.  In  1646  Thomas  Hunter  was 
served  heir  to  his  father  in  the  half  of  the  town  and 
lands  of  Hackburn.*  In  1691  Patrick  Porteous 
seems  to  have  possessed  either  the  whole  or  half 
of  the  lands. f  The  lands  afterwards  passed  into  the 
families  of  Wallace,  M'Pougal,  Fisher,  Waugh,and 
Ormiston  in  succession.  They  are  now  in  the  hands 
of  Adam  Paterson,  W.S.,  who  has  greatly  improved 
the  estate,  and  built  a  commodious  house  thereon. 
Buchelm.J — During  the  reign  of  William  the 
Lion,  the  monks,  who  had  the  right  of  pasture  in 
the  lands,  obtained  a  licence  from  Kichard  the  Con- 
stable to  build  a  cowhouse  for  sixty  cows,  over  and 
above  the  three  houses  which  he  had  allowed  them 
to  erect  in  Witlie.  This  place  and  Williamlaw 
belonged  of  old  to  the  Pringles.  In  1548  Buckelm 
belonged  to  James  Hoppringill  of  Tynnes.  In 
June  of  that  year  Kobert  Hoppringill  of  Blyndley, 
and  five  others,  found  the  laird  of  Torwoodlee  as 
surety  for  their  underlying  the  law  at  the  next 
ayre  at  Selkirk  for  treasonable  assistance,  giving  and 
taking  assurance  with  the  English,  and  keeping  the 
house  of  Buckolm  and  pasturing  the  lands  thereof. § 


*Retours,  JSTo.  188. 

t  Ibid.  301. 

J  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  p.  96. 

§  Pitcairn's  Criminal  Trials,  vol.  i.  p.  338. 


104  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

It  forms  at  the  present  time  a  part  of  the  estate  of 
Torwoocllee,  belonging  to  Admiral  Pringle,  descen- 
dant of  the  same  family  who  also  owns  Williamlaw, 
which  was  for  a  while  in  the  hands  of  Kutherford 
of  Farnilee  and  Ladhopemuir  or  Calf  hill.  At  the 
Keformation  Buckolm  was  valued  in  the  rent-roll 
of  the  abbey  at  £10,  and  Williamlaw  at  £5.  In 
the  taxt-roll  Buckelm  is  entered  as  worth  £611,  6s. 
8d.,  and  paying  a  duty  of  £11,  6s.  8d.,  William- 
law as  worth  £512,  3s.  4d.,  and  paying  feu  and 
tack  duty  of  £12,  3s.  4d. 

The  old  house  of  Buckelm  was  of  considerable 
strength,  but  was  allowed  to  fall  into  ruins  about 
the  middle  of  last  century.  The  only  remains  are 
the  tower  and  a  part  of  the  wall  of  the  courtyard. 
A  modern  farm-house  has  been  attached  to  the  old 
parts  of  the  house.  The  situation  is  commanding, 
overlooking  the  vale  of  the  Gala,  and  the  well 
wooded  demesne  of  Torwoodlee.  Buckelm  Hill  is 
of  considerable  height,  and  has  long  been  celebrated 
as  a  sheep  walk.  The  plough  is  now  making  en- 
croachments to  near  its  summit. 

Longhaugh  and  Appletreeleaves,  long  pos- 
sessed by  the  Darlings. — In  the  roll  of  the  abbey, 
the  lands  of  Appletreeleaves  are  entered  as  worth 
£600,  and  paying  a  duty  of  £30.  Longhaugh  is 
now  possessed  by  Captain  Clark.  The  descendants 
of  the  family  of  Darling  still  exist  in  the  locality. 

Wester  Langlee,  sometimes  called  Gala- 
Bridge. — This  estate,  was  in  1630,  possessed  by 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  105 

Pringle  of  Torwoodlee  and  Cairncross  of  Colmslee. 
It  is  probable  that  the  whole  of  the  modern  estate 
was  owned  by  Cairncross.  About  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century,  it  was  owned  by  Tait  of  Pirn. 
It  afterwards  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Dunn, 
a  baker  in  Selkirk.  A  family  of  Bruce  possessed 
the  lands  till  within  a  few  years,  when  they  were 
purchased  by  John  Dalrymple,  who  built  a  beauti- 
ful mansion  on  the  site  of  the  old  building.  The 
situation  of  the  house  commands  an  extensive 
view  of  the  vale  of  the  Tweed,  the  mountains  of 
Eildon,  and  the.  peninsula  between  Tweed  and  Gala. 
Abbotsford  is  nearly  opposite  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  river.  Behind  the  mansion,  a  hill  rises  to 
a  considerable  height  clothed  with  wood.  Taken 
altogether,  there  are  few  places  that  can  vie  with 
Langlee. 

At  the  Reformation,  "  the  teinds  of  the  parish 
of  Melrose  amounted  to  £135,  9s.  4d.,  besides  50 
stones  of  butter  from  overside  of  Colmslee,  and 
from  Threepwood  340  loads  of  cain  peats,  340 
cain  fowls,  and  24  capons ;  and  the  reader  re- 
ceived, as  his  stipend,  assigned  him  out  of  the  third 
of  Melrose,  £20,  with  the  Kirkland."* 

Annals  of  the  Regality. — The  abbey  seems 
to  have  had  its  full  share  of  the  miseries  that 
afflicted  the  kingdom.  The  convent  had  many 
debates   with   the   men   of    Wedale   as    to   their 

*  Origines  Parochiales. 


106  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

marches.  William  the  Lion,  assisted  by  his 
bishops  and  barons,  met  and  settled  the  contro- 
versy, which  was  called  the  peace  of  Wedale.  Yet, 
in  these  days,  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  disputes 
between  servants  and  swineherds.  In  1247,  Pat- 
rick Earl  of  Dunbar,  in  preparation  for  his  depar- 
ture to  the  Holy  Land,  sold  to  the  monks  his  stud 
of  brown  mares  in  Lauderdale,  for  the  sum  of  100 
merks  sterling.  In  1268,  the  abbot,  and  a  great 
part  of  the  convent,  were  excommunicated  in  a 
council  of  Perth,  for  breaking  the  peace  with  the 
men  of  Wedale,  killing  a  clergyman  there,  and 
leaving  several  wounded.  In  1215,  the  barons  of 
Yorkshire,  with  their  neighbours  of  Northumber- 
land, came  to  the  King  of  Scotland  at  Melrose, 
and  swore  fealty  to  him  in  the  chapter-house  of  the 
monastery.  In  1295,  Edward  I.  granted  to  the 
monks  a  protection.  When  this  King  made  his 
second  attempt  on  Scotland  in  1322,  and  was 
forced  to  return,  he  burned  the  abbey  of  Melrose, 
and  killed  the  prior,  William  de  Peebles,  and  some 
of  his  monks,  carried  off  the  silver  pix,  and  pro- 
fanely cast  forth  the  host  and  the  high  altar. 
To  rebuild  the  abbey,  Robert  L,  the  generous 
patron  of  the  house,  in  1326,  gave  the  monks 
a  grant  of  £2000  sterling,  from  the  revenue  of 
wards'  relief,  marriages,  escheats  and  fines, 
within  Eoxburghshire.  This  grant  is  dated  at 
Scone  on  the  26th  March  1326.  The  money 
was   chiefly   drawn   from  the  forfeited    lands  of 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  107 

Nisbet,  the  baronies  of  Longnewton,  Maxwell, 
and  Caverton,  which  belonged  to  Lord  Soulis, 
and  the  lands  of  Cessford  and  Eckford,  belonging 
to  Mowbray.  In  1332,  Walter,  the  Steward  of 
Scotland,  declared  that  whereas  the  men  of  the 
Abbot  of  Melrose  were  not  bound  to  serve  the 
king,  yet  had  served  the  king  for  two  years  by  the 
special  grace  of  the  abbot  and  convent,  that  the 
leading  of  them  belonged  to  one  appointed  by  the 
Abbot,  yet  had  allowed  them  to  serve  under  his 
command,  this  should  not  be  drawn  into  a  pre- 
cedent. In  1340,  after  a  truce,  Edward,  on  re- 
turning from  Ettrick  Forest,  kept  his  Christmas  at 
Melrose.  After  the  overthrow  of  the  army  and 
capture  of  David  II.  in  1346,  Eoxburghshire  was 
occupied  by  the  English.  The  monks  were  accused 
of  defrauding  the  king  of  England  of  his  customs 
and  dues.  In  1360  the  justices  of  Ayr  sat  at  Mel- 
rose. In  1371  Katharine  Mortimer  was  murdered 
by  one  Kid  on  the  road  from  Melrose  to  Soltra. 
This  lady  had  been  brought  into  Scotland  by 
David  on  his  return  from  captivity,  and  for  whom 
he  entertained  great  affection,  at  which  certain 
lords  were  offended,  and  got  Kid  to  undertake  her 
murder.  He  accordingly  pretended  that  he  was 
sent  by  the  king  with  a  message  to  her,  and  got 
her  to  accompany  him,  and,  while  travelling  along 
the  Girthgate,  he  accomplished  his  purpose.  It  is 
said  by  the  chronicler  that  the  king  caused  her  to 
be  honourably  buried  at  Newbattle,  "  not  ceasing, 


108  THE    HISTORY   AND    ANTIQUITIES   OF 

as  far  as  in  him  lay,  after  her  death,  to  manifest 
the  singular  love  he  bare  unto  her  in  her  life."  In 
1377  the  convent  obtained  letters  of  protection 
from  the  English  king.  In  1385,  Kichard  II. 
lodged  a  night  in  the  abbey,  and  burned  it  next 
morning.  In  October  1389,  as  an  indemnification 
to  the  convent,  he  granted  the  monks  a  reduction 
of  two  shillings  on  each  sack  of  wool  of  Scotch 
growth,  to  the  number  of  1000,  that  they  should 
send  to  be  exported  from  Berwick-upon-Tweed.* 
He  also  granted  them  a  protection  from  plunder- 
ers, with  licence  to  buy  in  Northumberland  and 
Cumberland.  In  April  1400  Kichard  III.  gave 
them  a  letter  addressed  to  his  subjects  in  gen- 
eral, forbidding  them  to  injure  the  abbot  or  con- 
vent, their  servants,  cattle,  or  goods.  In  1498, 
the  Commissioners  of  England  and  Scotland 
met  at  Melrose  for  concluding  a  truce.  Dr 
Fox,  the  Bishop  of  Durham,  acted  for  the  English 
King,  with  Heales,  ambassador  of  Ferdinand  King 
of  Spain,  as  mediator,  and  after  a  long  conference, 
a  peace  was  agreed  upon  for  a  number  of  years. 
Next  year,  the  bishop  met  the  King  of  Scotland  at 
Melrose,  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  garrison 
of  Norham  in  attacking  certain  Scotsmen,  who 
were  riding  past  the  castle,  of  whom  several  were 
slain.  After  communing  together,  the  King 
proposed  to  the  bishop  for  Margaret,  the  daugh- 

*  A  sack  of  wool  contains  26  stones. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  109 

ter  of  King  Henry,  and  asked  his  aid,  which  the 
bishop  agreed  to  give.     In  consequence,  persons 
were  sent  by  the  King  to  England,  and  shortly 
after  the  marriage  was  concluded,  a  peace  was 
also  agreed  on  for  a  term  of  two  lives.     In  1535, 
James  V.  granted  letters  of  protection  to  the  con- 
vent,   addressed   to   all    his   subjects,   forbidding 
them  to  do  any  wrong  or  hurt  to  the  convent, 
their  men,  tenants,  goods,  and  gear,  under  the  pain 
of  death.     The  abbey  was  demolished  during  the 
regency  of  Arran,  when  Sir  Brian  Laiton  and  Sir 
Kalph  Evers  made  an  inroad  into  Scotland  by  way 
of  Jedburgh,  and  defaced  the  tombs  of  the  Douglas. 
This  act  so  enraged  Douglas,  that  he  collected  all 
his  forces,   and  after  being  joined  by  Scott  of 
Buccleuch,  attacked  them  on  Ancrum  moor,  and 
slew  or  took  prisoners  the  greater  part  of  them. 
What  remained  from  this  devastation  was  burned 
and  destroyed  by  Hereford,  who  burned  and  ravaged 
the  whole  country  on  his  way.     In  1561.  the  abbey 
was  held  by  the  men-at-arms  against  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell  and  all  his  friends.     The  Earl  granted 
to  Lord  John  of  Coldingham  the  abbey  and  all  his 
father's  lands  in  Teviotdale.     Lord  John  was  the 
natural  son  of  James  V.  by  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Sir  James  Carmichael,  and  the  queen's  natural 
brother.     He  married  Jean  Hepburn,  Bothweli's 
sister,  who  became  the  sole  representative  of  Earl 
Bothwell. 


110  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 


CHAPTER  II. 

OF   THE   BARONY   OF   GALASHIELS. 

The  name  of  this  place  is  derived  from  the 
British  Gwala,  the  name  of  the  river,  and  the 
8axon  sJiiels,  temporary  shelters  for  shepherds 
when  tending  their  flocks.  It  may  also  mean  huts 
on  the  Gala,  whether  used  by  shepherds  while 
following  their  flocks,  or  keepers  of  the  forest,  or 
hunters.  There  can  be  np  doubt  that  Galashiels 
lay  within  the  forest  of  Ettrick.  When  the  house 
of  Douglas  possessed  the  forest,  the  lands  and 
manor  of  Galashiels  formed  a  part  of  it.  In  1416 
Earl  Archibald  seems  to  have  resided  at  the  tower 
of  "  Gallowschel."*  When  James  IV.  contracted 
to  marry  Lady  Margaret  of  England,  he  endowed 
her  with  the  whole  forest  of  Ettrick,  and  when 
sasine  of  the  forest  was  given  her  in  1503  by  Sir 
John  Murray  of  Falahill,  it  "  was  on  the  soil  of  the 
said  lordship,  near  the  tower  and  manor  of  Gala- 
shiels." At  this  act  of  sasine,  Walter  Scott  of 
Buccleuch,  David  Pringle  of  Galashiels,  and  his 

*Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  ii.  pp.  539,  5^0. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  Ill 

brother  William  are  witnesses.*  From  this  it  is 
obvious  that  Galashiels  must  have  been  a  place  of 
importance  in  the  forest  at  an  early  period. 

The  original  town  of  Galashiels  stood  on  a  flat 
of  the  hill,  chiefly  within  the  grounds  of  the  man- 
sion of  Gala,  the  present  lodge  being  the  principal 
hotel.  Two  streets  ran  north-west ;  the  entrance 
to  one  of  these  being  to  the  south  of  Mr  Herbert- 
son's  house,  at  a  place  where  the  "  Border  Advertiser" 
office  formerly  stood,  and  to  the  other  where  the 
house  of  the  Baron  Bailie  stands.  Another  street 
ran  from  the  Bowbutts  along  the  side  of  the  late 
Dr  M'Dougal's  garden.  The  Tolbooth  stood  near 
the  bailie's  house,  and  part  of  it  is  still  to  be  seen 
within  the  gates  of  the  demesne.  The  cross  of  the 
barony  stood  opposite  the  Tolbooth.  The  old  tower 
referred  to  above  existed  till  about  forty  years  ago, 
when  it  was  taken  down  to  make  room  for  an  addi- 
tion to  the  parish  school.  It  was  of  a  square  form, 
built  of  large  stones,  many  of  them  six  feet  long 
and  of  the  thickness  of  the  wall.  When  Pennant 
visited  the  locality  in  1772,  this  house  was  named 
Hunter's  Hall. 

In  the  old  town  is  the  parish  church,  a  semi- 
gothic  structure,  with  a  square  tower.  It  was 
built  in  1813,  and  contains  800  sittings. t     The 

*Rymer,  xiii.  63. 

f  The  jougs  attached  to  the  old  church  were  in  1851  pre- 
sented by  Adam  Paterson  of  Whitlee  to  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  in  whose  museum  they  may  be  seen. 


112  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

church  of  the  parish  was  originally  situated  at 
Lindean,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Tweed,  and 
removed  to  the  present  locality  about  1622,  on  a 
report  of  the  commissioners  for  the  plantation  of 
kirks,  "  that  there  lived  about  400  people  in  Gala- 
shiels, and  so  meikle  the  more  as  we  (the  ministers 
of  the  adjoining  parishes)  find  ane  house  already 
there,  well  built,  comely  apparelled,  and  with  small 
help  as  is  provided  may  easily  be  made  sufficient 
for  the  whole  people  in  their  most  frequent  assem- 
blies."* The  present  parish  was  formed  out  of  two 
old  parishes,  Lindean  and  Bolside,  the  former  in 
Koxburghshire  and  the  latter  in  Selkirkshire. 
Bolside  or  Bowside  stood  at  a  hamlet  of  that  name, 
on  the  bend  or  bow  of  the  hill  about  half  a  mile  below 
the  junction  of  the  Ettrick  and  the  Tweed.  This 
church  is  laid  down  in  Pont's  maps,  in  Blaew's 
atlas,  No.  5  and  8,  wherein  he  calls  it  Boldsyd 
Kirk.  The  hamlet  is  also  shown  in  Ainslie's  map 
of  the  shire,  and  is  named  Bollside.  It  now  con- 
sists of  two  small  houses,  although  traces  exist  of 
a  considerable  village.  The  site  of  the  old  church 
may  still  be  seen  by  willing  eyes,  and  the  paths 
leading  up  to  it  from  the  highway.  There  can  be 
little  doubt,  that  in  this  little  church  of  Bolside, 
the  men  of  this  part  of  the  Forest  worshipped  in 
ancient  times.  There  is  here  a  ferry  on  the  Tweed, 
named  from  the  hamlet  on  the  hill  above.     The 

*  In  Fullarton's  Gazetteer  of  Scotland,  and  other  works, 
the  population  of  Galashiels  is  erroneously  stated  at  1400. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  113 

stipend  of  the  united  parish  is  £270,  10s.  6d., 
glebe,  £28,  unappropriated  teinds,  £273,  Is.  2d. 
There  is  also  the  school  of  the  parish,  which  is 
well  attended,  and  under  the  management  of  an 
able  rector,  but  the  building  is  ill-fitted  for  a  school, 
besides  not  affording  sufficient  accommodation. 
The  present  corn  and  flour  mills  occupy  the  site 
of  the  ancient  mill  of  the  barony.  About  the 
seventeenth  century,  the  rent  of  the  mill  was  £30. 
At  this  time  there  were  three  waulk-  mills  in  the 
barony  ;  one  of  these  stood  where  the  waulk-mill- 
head  now  stands,  another  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  mill  belonging  to  the  Messrs  Cochrane,  and 
the  third  where  the  mill  of  Messrs  Bathgate  now 
stands.  Each  of  these  waulk-mills  paid  a  rent  of  £5 
sterling  a-year.  In  consequence  of  these  mills  being 
uncovered,  little  or  no  work  was  done  by  them  dur- 
ing the  winter  season,  especially  in  times  of  frost. 
During  a  frost,  the  whole  male  inhabitants  of  the 
village  were  thrown  idle.  Having  no  work,  they 
assembled  at  the  cross  on  the  ringing  of  a  bell, 
and,  headed  by  the  laird  and  the  parish  minister, 
proceeded  to  the  haugh  to  play  a  game  at  shinty. 
The  manner  of  forming  the  two  contending  parties 
was  peculiar.  All  who  bore  the  names  of  Hab,  Jock, 
Tarn,  Andrew,  Adam,  and  Dan,  formed  one  side, 
and  played  against  all  the  other  names  in  the  vil- 
lage. From  this  the  game  was  called  the  "  Hab 
and  Jock  ba.' "  At  the  conclusion  of  the  game,  all 
the  players  repaired  to  the  manse,  where  they  were 
feasted  on  nolts'  head  and  brose. 

F 


114  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

The  New  Town  of  Galashiels  owes  its  rise  to  the 

baron  taking  advantage  of  the  spirit  of  enterprise 

which  took  possession  of  the  inhabitants  of  Galashiels 

about  the  middle  of  last  century,  in  regard  to  the 

woollen  manufacture,  and  granting  feus  of  land  on 

the  margin  of  the  Gala.     At  that  time  there  were 

few  or  no  houses  in  the  haugh  where  the  new  town 

is.     On  the  spot  where  the  High  Street  now  stands 

was  a  marsh  inhabited  by  "paddocks" — from  that 

circumstance  named  "  Paddo-Haugh"     Opposite 

to  where  Bank  Street  now  is  there  were  a  few 

houses  on  the  south  side  of  the  dam,  and  a  garden 

called  the  Orchard.     Indeed,  till  a  comparatively 

recent  period,  the  only  houses  in  the  haugh  were 

a  row  of  thatched  dwelling-houses,  part  of  which 

exist  to  the  present  day,  called  the  Chingle.     The 

farm  onstead  of  Longhaugh  occupied  the  site  of 

the  railway  station.     The  feuing  out  of  the  land 

was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  Galashiels. 

Previous  to  that  time,  the  wool  was  first  scribbled 

in  a  kind  of  machine  set  in  motion  by  the  foot,  and 

bearing  the  name  of  a  "  dick  J'    In  that  state  it  was 

distributed  to  the  women  inhabiting  the  villages  of 

Darnick,  Gattonside,  Lindean,  Torwoodlee,  and  the 

hamlets  around  the  town.     These  women  carded 

the  wool  on  a  hand-loom,  and  afterwards  spun  it 

on  the  big  wheel.*     On  the  Saturdays  the  work 

*  In  1790  there  were  about  240  women  engaged  in  card- 
ing and  spinning.     With  the  present  trade  of  Galashiels, 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  115 

was  brought  into  the  town,  and  each  woman  re- 
ceived sixpence  per  slip  for  her  work.  The  yarn 
was  then  dyed,  and  woven  into  a  cloth,  chiefly  a 
black  and  white,  or  blue  and  white  mixture,  called 
Galashiels  gray,  which  sold  at  Is.  6d.  or  2s.  per 
yard.  At  this  period  the  want  of  sufficient 
machinery  was  greatly  felt.  The  first  step  towards 
the  removal  of  this  obstacle  to  the  extension  of  the 
manufacture  was  in  1780,  when  a  small  hand 
"  willy"  for  oiling  and  teazing  the  wool,  was  put  up 
in  the  garret  of  John  Koberts.  It  was  a  joint 
stock  adventure,  and  willied  for  the  whole  town. 
In  the  year  1790,  the  carding  machine  was  inven- 
ted, and  John  Mercer  went  to  Leeds  to  examine 
it.  With  great  difficulty  he  got  admission  into 
one  of  the  factories,  and  was  so  satisfied  with  its 
performance,  that  he  immediately  got  a  half  one 
made  (a  scribbler),  and  brought  it  with  him  to 
Galashiels.  The  "  dick"  was  superseded  by  this  new 
machine.  The  same  year,  the  Wilderhaugh 
factory  was  built  by  the  Mercers,  their  fulling-mill 
covered  in,  and  a  small  wheel  to  drive  the  new 
scribbler  erected.  This  was  the  first  machine- 
house  built  in  Galashiels,  and  is  now  worked  by 
water  and  steam  power.*  In  1791  James  Roberts 
introduced  a  twenty- four  spindle  jenny  from  Leeds, 
which  is  believed  to  be  the  first  used  in  Scotland. 


above  25,000  women  would  be  required  to  card  and  spin 
all  the  wool  in  the  different  factories  of  the  town 
*  Brown  and  Shaw's  mill. 


1 1  6  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

In  the  same  year  the  Mercers  got  from  Leeds  a 
carder,  a  billy  with  twenty  spindles,  and  a  jenny 
with  thirty-six  spindles.  They  had  the  honour  of 
introducing  the  first  carding-machine  and  billy, 
not  only  in  Galashiels,  but  in  Scotland.  About 
this  time  the  house  at  present  occupied  by  the 
Baron  Bailie  was  erected  as  a  cloth-hall,  in  which 
each  manufacturer  of  the  town  had  his  own  shelf 
on  which  he  laid  his  cloth.  The  late  Dr  Douglas, 
parish  minister,  lent  the  manufacturers  who  built 
the  hall  £1000,  and  out  of  this  fund  each  manu- 
facturer, when  he  gave  in  his  cloth  to  the  hall,  got 
two -thirds  of  the  value  thereof,  the  remaining  one- 
third  being  given  to  him  when  his  cloth  was  sold. 
A  clerk  was  engaged  to  manage  the  affairs,  and  a 
person  to  travel  for  the  company.  After  going  on 
for  a  short  time,  the  company  was  dissolved,  being 
found  not  to  answer.  So  little,  at  this  time,  did  the 
people  of  Galashiels  know  about  the  use  of  ma- 
chinery, that  the  manufacturers  were  forced  to  get 
two  women  from  Leeds  to  teach  them  to  slubb 
and  spin,  and  to  piece  the  carding  at  the  billy. 
About  1792  the  second  mill  was  feued  and  built 
by  a  firm  consisting  of  Adam  Cochrane,  Richard 
Lees,  David  Grieve,  and  Robert  Gill.  This  is  the 
mill  which  now  belongs  to  Messrs  Cochrane.  Like 
the  Wilderhaugh  mill,  it  contained  one  sett,  but 
three  setts  have  been  added.  Botany  mill  was 
built  by  James  Sime,  W.  &  D.  Thomson,  H. 
Sanderson,  and  Thomas  Clapperton,  in  1798.    Like 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  117 

its  predecessors,   it  at  first  contained  one   sett, 
but  to  which  was  added  three  setts  driven  by  water. 
In  1802,  the  Waulkmillhead  was  built  by  John 
Koberts,  George  Paterson,  James  Johnstone,  and 
John  Lees.     It  contained  one  sett  of  machinery, 
to  which  one  sett  and  a-half  has  since  been  added. 
It  is  now  in  possession  of  Dickson   and  Dobie, 
and  has  both  water  and  steam  power.     Next  year 
W.  &  D.  Thomson  erected  the  mill  which  goes  by 
their  name,  containing  two  setts.     In  1804,  the 
mill  belonging  to  the  Messrs  Bathgate  was  put 
up  by  William  Koberts,  William  Brown,  James 
Bathgate,   and  Adam  Clapperton,  and  two  setts 
placed  in  it.  In  1810,  the  "  twiner  "  was  invented  by 
William  Johnstone,  manufacturer  in  Galashiels. 
In  1814,  "mules"  were  introduced  by  W.  &  D. 
Thomson.   Four  years  afterwards,  Huddersfieldwas 
built  by  George  Paterson,  John  Fairgrieve,  Kobert 
Walker,   and  John   Geddell.     It  contained  two 
setts.     In  1818,  Kichard  Lees  erected  the  machine- 
house  which  bears  his  name,  containing  two  setts, 
which  has  now  water  and  steam  power.     Next  year, 
the  "yankee"  was  brought  from  America  by  James 
Paterson.     A  sett  of  machines,  at  this  time,  con- 
sisted of  a  double  scribbler,  36  inches  wide ;  a 
double  carder,  27  inches  wide  ;  a  36-spindled  billy, 
turned  by  hand,   and  four  48-spindled  jennies. 
The  jennies    were   generally   placed  in    garrets 
throughout  the  town,  and  worked  by  the  hand. 
Each  manufacturer  had  his  own  jenny.     In  1826, 
Wakefield  was  built  by  R.  &  H.  Sanderson,  in 


118  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

which  were  put  up  two  setts.  Five  setts  have 
since  been  added,  and  steam  power.  In  1829,  the 
first  piece  of  tartan  was  made  in  Galashiels  by 
Thomas  Roberts.  The  manufacture  of  this  par- 
ticular kind  of  cloth  was  taken  up  by  the  manu- 
facturers, and  turned  to  a  profitable  account. 
Three  years  afterwards  (1832),  the  first  condenser 
in  Great  Britain  was  introduced  into  Galashiels  by 
Thomas  Roberts.  It  was  sent  to  him  from 
America.  In  1836,  a  steam  mill  was  erected  at 
Buckholmside  by  Sanderson  and  Paterson,  with 
four  setts  of  machines.  In  1840,  the  spool-feeding 
machine  was  improved,  and  started  in  Galashiels 
and  Selkirk  by  T.  Roberts.  In  1842,  Abbot's 
mill  was  built  by  James  Sanderson  and  John  Sib- 
bald,  with  two  setts,  to  which  one  has  been  since 
added,  and  steam  power.  Three  years  after, 
Henry  Sanderson  built  the  mill  called  by  his  name, 
and  which  contained  four  setts.  In  1852,  the 
Tweed  steam  mill  was  built  by  Peter  and  Robert 
Sanderson,  with  two  setts,  to  which  three  setts 
have  been  added.  Next  year,  William  Roberts  & 
Sons  built  a  steam  mill,  with  two  setts,  to  which 
they  have  since  added  four  setts.  It  is  now  called 
the  Victoria  Mill.  In  1854,  Watson  &  Bogue 
erected  a  steam  mill  at  Comely  Bank,  with  three 
setts  of  machines.  Four  of  these  mills  are  driven 
by  steam,  eleven  by  water  and  steam,  and  only  one 
by  water.  These  mills  contain  altogether  sixty 
setts  of  machines. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  extra  hours  worked 


KOXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  119 

— in  many  cases  a  half  and  in  others  double — the 
turn  over  of  money  may  be  fairly  estimated  at 
£7000  in  a  year  for  each  sett,  thus  giving  a  total 
of  £420,000  as  representing  the  trade  of  Galashiels 
in  the  present  year  (1863).  It  is  not  easy  to 
calculate  from  the  above  the  quantity  of  wool  passed 
through  in  a  year,  as  the  amount  worked  per  day, 
and  the  quality,  vary.  But  taking  one  sett,  at  ten 
hours,  to  work  three  stones  of  clean  wool,  on  an 
average  gives  180  stones;  to  this  add  one  half 
more  for  wool  in  the  grease,  making  270  stones  of 
24  lb.  per  day ;  adding  one  half  more  for  extra  time 
gives  405,  and  this  multiplied  by  300  working 
days,  shows  121,500  stones  of  wool  used  in  the 
town  for  this  year,  or  in  pounds,  2,916,000.  Aver- 
aging the  raw  wool  at  22d.  per  lb.,  it  will  appear 
that  a  sum  of  about  £267,000  is  annually  expended 
on  this  staple  article.  It  must  be  kept  in  mind, 
however,  that  though  these  figures  are  carefully 
calculated,  they  are  only  approximations,  but  as 
near  as  can  be  arrived  at. 

Of  Cheviot  wool  there  is  used  about  120,000 
lb.,  at  a  value  of  £7500,  but  lately  there  has  been 
a  greater  demand  for  Cheviot  articles  of  clothing 
for  sportsmen,  tourists,  and  others.  There  is  only 
a  small  establishment  for  weaving  stockings,  woollen 
drawers,  &c* 

*In  the  year  ending  1775,  only  722  stones  of  wool  were 
manufactured  into  cloth.  In  1790,  2916  stones  were  pur- 
chased by  the  manufacturers.  The  highest  price  given  was 
19s.  per  stone,  and  the  lowest  7s.  9d. 


120 


THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 


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ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  121 

The  streets  of  the  town  are  not  laid  down  to  any 
kind  of  plan,  and  the  consequence  is  that  they  are 
irregular,  narrow,  and  inconvenient.  Considering 
the  importance  of  the  town,  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  when  the  land  was  begun  to  be  feued,  a  plan 
of  the  streets  had  not  been  made  ;  but  certainly  no 
one  at  that  time  could  have  anticipated  that  the 
Galashiels  of  1780,  with  its  400  inhabitants  and 
three  waulk-mills,  would  rise  to  be  the  Galashiels 
of  the  present  day, — one  of  the  first  manufacturing 
towns  in  the  south  of  Scotland,  with  a  population 
of  above  6000. 

There  are  in  the  town  branch-offices  of  the 
National  Bank  of  Scotland,  the  City  of  Glasgow 
Bank,  and  the  Koyal  Bank  of  Scotland,  a  Savings' 
Bank,  a  Mechanics  Institute,  a  Museum,  and  seve- 
ral Friendly  Societies. 

There  are  in  the  burgh  two  United  Presbyterian 
Churches,  a  Free  Church,  the  Episcopalians,  Mori- 
sonians,  Baptists,  Glassites,  and  Koman  Catholics. 
"  Concerning  the  numbers  and  the  peculiar  tenets 
of  the  various  separatists  from  the  Establishment," 
the  minister  says  he  has  never  been  led  to  make 
any  particular  inquiry,  from  an  opinion  that  while 
they  are  peaceable  and  good  members  of  society,  and 
"  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,"  the  specula- 
tive points  on  which  they  may  differ  are  of  very 
little  importance  ;  and  it  gives  him  much  pleasure 
to  find  a  spirit  of  forbearance  and  toleration  uni- 


122  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

versally  prevailing  among  all  ranks  and  denomina- 
tions in  the  parish.* 

Within  these  few  yearsa commodious  Court-House 
has  been  built  for  the  Commissioners  of  Police,  and 
meetings  of  the  inhabitants.  An  elegant  Corn  Ex- 
change has  been  erected  within  the  same  period 
near  to  the  market  place.  Excepting  these,  and 
the  churches  and  mills,  there  are  no  good  build- 
ings in  the  haugh,  but  beautiful  mansions  have 
been  raised  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  from  Long- 
haugh  to  Buckholm,  and  on  the  road  which  leads 
from  Galashiels  towards  Selkirk,  on  the  south  side 
of  Gala.  At  various  places  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town  are  to  be  seen  mansions  of  the  wealthy  manu- 
facturers looking  down  on  the  busy  scenes  in  the 
vale  below. 

The  burgh  is  governed  by  Commissioners  of 
Police  elected  under  the  General  Police  and  Im- 
provement Act  for  Scotland. 

The  armorial  bearings  of  the  burgh  consist  of  a 
plum  tree  in  the  centre,  with  a  fox  sitting  on  each 
side  looking  up  into  it, and  the  motto  "  Sour  plums." 
According  to  the  legend,  a  party  of  Englishmen, 
while  returning  from  an  expedition  into  Scotland 
during  the  reign  of  David  II.,  straggled  from  the 
main  body  of  their  army,  and  began  to  gather 
plums,  which  existed  in  great  plenty  in  the  woods 
around  Galashiels,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Tweed. 

*  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  xi.  p.  36. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  123 

The  men  of  Galashiels  turned  out  to  take  ven- 
geance on  their  enemies.  The  Englishmen  took 
to  their  heels,  but  before  they  could  ford  the  Tweed 
they  were  slain  to  a  man,  and  their  bodies  thrown 
into  a  syke,  known  to  the  present  day  as  the 
Englishman's  Syke.  The  people  of  the  town  who 
had  been  engaged  in  the  exploit,  in  self-gratula- 
tion,  called  themselves  the  "  sour  plums  in  Gala- 
shiels," meaning  that  they  had  been  sourer  plums 
than  any  the  Englishmen  had  gone  in  search  of. 
The  sour  plums  of  Galashiels  were  celebrated  in  an 
old  song  which  is  now  lost.  A  favourite  air,  "  Sour 
plums  in  Galashiels,"  was  composed  in  1700  by  the 
laird  of  Galashiels'  piper.  It  is  probable  that  this 
legend  is  altogether  fanciful.  Tradition  says  that 
on  the  spot  on  which  Abbotsmill  now  stands  was 
an  hospital  to  which  persons  seized  with  the  "  black 
plague"  were  conveyed,  and  those  who  died  were 
buried  in  the  adjoining  haugh,  which  till  lately  was 
popularly  known  as  the  "  Darkheugh." 

The  Lands  and  Manor  of  Galashtels. — The 
lands  formed  a  part  of  the  Forest  and  the  property 
of  the  kings  of  Scotland.  When  Edward  I.  over- 
ran Scotland,  he  made  Aymer  de  Valence,  the 
Earl  of  Gloucester,  keeper  of  the  Forest.  In  1305 
the  same  king  assigned  the  whole  shire  of  Selkirk 
to  the  Earl  of  Pembroke.  Kobert  I.  granted  to 
the  good  Sir  James  Douglas,  his  favourite  warrior, 
the  Forests  of  Selkirk  and  Traquair,  and  erected 
the  same  into  a  free  barony  with  regal  powers. 


124  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

The  same  territory  was  conferred  on  the  first  Earl 
Douglas,  who  had  expelled  the  English  from  Doug- 
lasdale  and  Ettrick  Forest.  After  1455  it  returned 
to  the  crown  on  the  forfeiture  of  Earl  Douglas. 
When  James  IV.  fell  on  the  field  of  Flodden,  the 
Forest  became  the  property  of  Queen  Margaret.  At 
the  abolition  of  heritable  jurisdictions,  the  regality 
of  the  Forest  was  still  in  the  family  of  Douglas. 
About  1408,  Robert  Hop  Pringle  of  Whitsome* 
obtained  from  Archibald,  Earl  of  Douglas,  a  tack 
of  the  forest  steadings  of  Galashiels  and  Mosilie, 
which  were  held  by  the  family  under  the  Douglas 


*  The  family  of  Pringle  has  its  origin  in  ancient  times. 
Some  writers  imagine  that  the  name  is  derived  from  pelerin 
or  pilgrim,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  name  is  derived  from 
the  territory  on  which  the  progenitor  settled;  Pren  gill 
means  the  woody  gill  or  dean.  In  the  earliest  form  the 
name  appears  it  is  de  Pringill,  that  is,  Adam  of  the  Woody 
gill.  The  family  is  first  seen  in  connection  with  lands  in 
Mid-Lothian,  the  Hop  Pringells  of  that  ilk.  At  the  death  of 
John  Pringle  of  Torsonce,  his  daughter  Margaret  carried  the 
estates  to  Gilbert  Pringle  of  Stitchill,  in  whose  family  they  re- 
mained till  a  few  years  ago.  Robert  Pringle  of  Whitsome 
obtained  a  charter  from  Archibald  the  Grim  of  the  lands  of 
Smailholm  in  Roxburghshire  and  Pilmuir  and  Blackchester  in 
Lauderdale,  in  1408.  He  built  the  tower  of  Sandy  Knowe 
at  Smailholm.  His  son  Robert  is  said  to  have  built  the 
bridge  over  the  Tweed  at  Bridgend  referred  to  above.  A 
stone  taken  from  the  river  bears  the  following  inscription : — 

"  I,  Robert  Pringle  of  Pilmure  stede, 
Gave  an  hundred  nobles  of  gowd  scie  reid 
To  help  to  bigg  mybrigg  ower  Tweed." 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  125 

till  1445,  and  afterwards  continued  as  kindly 
tenants  under  the  crown  till  1587,  when  the  lands 
were  granted  them  in  feu.  Kobert  Pringle  fell 
with  the  Douglas  at  the  battle  of  Vernuil  in  1423. 
His  son,  Robert  Pringle,  succeeded  to  all  the  pos- 
sessions of  his  father.  His  eldest  son  David  was, 
in  1456,  appointed  ranger  of  the  ward  of  Tweed, 
which  office  he  held  till  14G7,  and  his  son  James 
held  the  same  office  till  1495.  David,  his  eldest 
son  and  heir,  fell  at  Flodden  with  four  of  his  sons.* 
John,  his  youngest  son,  succeeded,  and  was  present 
at  the  battle  of  Pinkie.  He  died  about  1566.  His 
son  Andrew  executed  an  entail  of  his  estates.     On 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  with  the  view  of  supporting  the  theory 

that  the  name  is  derived  from  "pilgrim"  quotes  the  first 

line  as — 

"  I,  Sir  John  Pringle  of  Palmer  stede," 

but  without  any  authority  for  making  the  change.  Other 
versions  give  the  words  "  rebuild  the  brig."  It  is,  how- 
ever, probable  that  the  Pringles  contributed  largely  to  erect 
the  bridge.  They  had  large  possessions  in  the  district. 
Pilmuir  stead  lay  on  the  borders  of  Koxburghshire,  in  a 
direct  line  with  the  bridge.  Members  of  the  family  held 
possessions  in  the  Forest  between  Leader  and  Gala, — Colms- 
lie,  Langlie,  Woolhousebyres,  Buchelm,  and  Williamlaw. 
On  the  Gala  they  also  had  considerable  estates, — Craigend, 
Symington,  Torsonce,  Windydoors,  Whytbank,  Torwoodlee, 
Blindlee,  besides  lands  on  the  Tweed.  The  family  of  Tor- 
woodlee suffered  greatly  for  conscience  sake,  but — 

"  Blainslie,  Buchelm,  and  Blindlee, 
were 

Persecutors  a'  three." 

*  His  daughter  Isabella  married  Sir  David  Home  of  Wed- 
derburn,  and  was  mother  of  the  seven  spears  of  Wedderburn. 


126         THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  death  of  Andrew,  his  son  James  succeeded,  who 
was  knighted  by  James  VI.  He  was  Sheriff-Prin- 
cipal of  Ettrick  Forest  and  Bailie  of  Stow.*  Hav- 
ing wasted  his  patrimony  by  attendance  at  court 
and  extravagant  living,  the  lands  and  barony  of 
Galashiels  were  resigned  into  the  hands  of  the 
crown  in  favour  of  James  Scott,  eldest  lawful  son 
of  Hew  Scott  of  Deuchars,f  and  Jean  Pringle, 
daughter  of  the  said  Sir  James  Pringle.  The 
barony  is  in  the  charter  said  to  comprehend  the 
lands  and  steadings  of  Galashiels  and  Mossillee, 
with  the  pendicles  thereof,  called  Nether  or  Easter 


*  In  the  indictment  against  Agnes  Sampson  in  Nether 
Keith  (the  wise  wife  of  Keith)  for  conspiring  the  king's 
death,  witchcraft,  sorcery,  incantation,  &c,  (1590-9 1)  the 
39th  charge  of  which  she  was  convicted  was,  "  that  sche 
(Agnes  Sampson)  haifing  done  pleasour  to  the  gudwyffe  of 
Gallowscheles,  for  the  quhilk  she  did  not  satisfie  her  sa  sone 
als  the  said  Agnes  desyret,  thairfore  sche  said  to  the  said 
gudwyfe  that  'sche  sould  repent  it,'  and  within  a  few  houris 
thairafter  the  said  gudwyffe  tuik  ane  wodness  (madness), 
and  her  toung  schot  out  of  her  heid  and  swalled  like  ane 
pot ;  quhairfore  sche  sent  to  her  the  thing  that  sche  desyret, 
and  preyit  her  to  come  to  her,  and  sche  baid  the  serviand 
'  Ga  away  hame,  for  the  gudwyffe  was  weill.' "  This  unfor- 
tunate woman  was  convicted  of  fifty-three  charges,  and  was 
sentenced  to  be  taken  to  the  Castlehill  of  Edinburgh,  "  and 
thaire  bund  to  ane  staike  and  wirriet  quhilk  she  was  deid ; 
and  thairafter  her  body  to  be  burnt  to  ashes." — Pitcairrts 
Criminal  Trials,  vol.  i.  p.  230. 

f  He  was  the  third  son  of  Walter  Scott  of  Harden,  by 
his  wife,  Mary  Scott,  the  Flower  of  Yarrow. 


127 

Mains  of  Bollside  and  Stobrig,  with  the  tower, 
fortalice,  mansion,  manor  place,  woods,  cornmills, 
waulkmills,  with  the  fishings  of  salmon,  and  other 
fishings  upon  the  water  of  Tweed,  on  both  sides 
thereof,  between  the  bridge  of  Melrose  and  the 
junction  of  the  Ettrick  with  the  Tweed,  also  the 
burgh  of  barony  of  Galashiels,  with  markets, 
fairs,  liberties,  privileges,  pertaining  thereto,  to- 
gether with  the  patronage  of  the  vicarage  of  the 
church  of  Lindean.  The  resignation  ^as  made  by 
Sir  James,  with  consent  of  his  sons  John  and  George 
Pringle,  and  of  the  said  Hew  Scott  and  Jean 
Pringle.  The  charter  was  ratified  by  parliament 
in  1633.  At  the  death  of  John,  the  third  son  of 
Sir  James,  in  1650,  Kobert,  the  brother  of  Sir 
James,  became  the  male  representative  of  the 
family,  the  succession  devolved  upon  James 
Pringle  of  Whytbank.  The  said  James  Scott  got 
a  charter  of  the  lands  and  barony  of  "Gala"  His 
son,  Hugh  Scott  of  Gala,  was  one  of  the  witnesses 
examined  against  the  Earl  of  Tarras,  Montgomery 
of  Langshaw,  Baillie  of  Jerviswood,  and  Pringle  of 
Torwoodlee,  on  their  trial  for  treason.  Tradition 
says  that  one  of  the  meetings  was  held  in  Gala 
House,  in  a  room  over  the  kitchen,  in  the  chimney 
of  which  there  is  a  concealed  chamber  entering 
from  a  closet.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Sir 
James  Kerr  of  Capers,  and  his  son  Sir  James  married 
a  daughter  of  Sir  William  Douglas  of  Cavers,  by 
whom  he  had  two  sons  and  eight  daughters.     His 


128  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

eldest  son,  John  Scott,  married  Anne,  only  daughter 
of  Colonel  M'Dougal  of  Makerstown.  In  1815, 
John  Scott  of  Gala  accompanied  Sir  Walter  Scott 
to  the  field  of  Waterloo.  On  his  death,  in  1840, 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Hugh,  who  now  in- 
herits the  domains  of  Gala.  In  1857  he  married 
Elizabeth  Isabella,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Johnston 
Gordon  of  Craig. 

Gala-House  is  situated  close  upon  Galashiels, 
in  a  well- wooded  park.  Considerable  additions 
have  been  made  to  the  house,  which  have  had  the 
effect  of  entirely  altering  its  original  appearance. 
So  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  the  original  part  of 
the  house  may  be  as  old  as  the  beginning  or  middle 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  built  in  the  form  of 
the  peel  houses  of  that  period.  The  principal 
doorway  has  been  on  the  west  side,  but  is  now 
shut  up,  and  the  door  faces  the  east.  -The  lintels 
of  the  door  and  windows  are  grooved.  The  stair  of 
the  old  part  of  the  house  is  spacious,  formed  of 
large  slabs  of  whinstone,  and  at  the  top  heavy  oak 
bannisters.  The  kitchen  fire-place  is  an  arch  ex- 
tending from  one  side  of  the  gable  to  the  other. 
The  joists  do  not  enter  the  walls,  but  are  laid 
upon  beams,  supported  on  each  side  by  stone  pro- 
jections. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  house,  within  the  park, 
are  two  peculiar  coombs,  or  Jcaims,  in  shape  resem- 
bling a  half-moon,  running  south  and  north,  with 
rounded  ends.     They  are  situated  near  the  middle 


129 

of  a  vale  extending  to  a  considerable  distance  south, 
through  which  a  rivulet  flows.  The  kaims  seem  to 
have  been  made  by  the  action  of  water.  Near  to 
this  place  is  a  camp — supposed  to  be  for  cavalry — 
of  about  two  acres,  through  which  the  burn  flows. 
Beyond  the  kaims  there  is  a  good  deal  of  natural 
wrood,  chiefly  oaks,  low  but  wide-spreading.  A 
clump  of  birch-wood,  in  the  policy  near  Meigle 
Hill,  is  believed  to  be  part  of  the  natural  wood. 
In  former  days  the  park  was  clothed  with  fine 
trees,  but  which  was  cut  down  and  sold  to  meet  a 
fine  of  £7000,  imposed  on  the  estate  during  the 
Commonwealth.  While  draining  a  moss  on  the 
farm  of  Holnbush,  large  oaks  were  found,  which 
had  apparently  formed  a  part  of  the  ancient  forest. 
Great  improvements  are  being  made  on  this  part 
of  the  estate.* 

In  the  year  1745,  a  detachment  from  the  main 
body  of  the  rebel  army  passed  through  Galashiels. 
The  laird,  who  was  a  firm  adherent  of  the  house  of 
Hanover,  being  warned  of  their  approach,  caused 
the  inhabitants  to  collect  all  the  cattle  of  the 
barony,  and  take  them  to  a  dene  or  ravine  at  Neid- 
path,  through  which  Blakehope  burn  flows,  where 
they  remained  concealed  till  the  rebels  had  passed. 


*  In  Wight's  Survey  of  Selkirkshire,  it  is  stated  that 
Mr  Glen,  while  he  was  minister  in  Galashiels,  was  the  first 
who  introduced  lime  to  any  extent  as  a  manure.  He  was 
minister  from  1757  to  1760. 

1 


130  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

While  the  laird  was  absent  at  Neidpath,  his  lady 
remained  at  home,  and  as  soon  as  she  observed  the 
approach  of  the  Highlanders,  she  waved  a  hand- 
kerchief from  a  window,  calling  out,  "  God  save 
Prince  Charlie !  long  live  the  prince  !  "  She  then 
met  them  at  the  door,  and  gave  them  a  hearty 
welcome,  placed  good  cheer  before  them,  of  which 
they  partook,  and  departed  highly  pleased  at  the 
opinions  expressed  by  the  lady  of  the  mansion. 

A  person  of  the  name  of  James  Patterson,  better 
known  as  "  Auld  Doucie,"  or  "Auld  '45,"  who  died 
in  1814,  remembered  the  visit  of  the  rebel  army  to 
Galashiels.* 


*  Many  curious  anecdotes  are  related  of  Doucie,  amongst 
others  are  the  following  : — In  Doucie's  young  days,  fish  was 
plentiful  in  the  Tweed,  in  the  absence  of  wTater-bailiffs,  inas- 
much as  a  stout  stick,  a  piece  of  cord,  and  a  hook,  were  all 
that  was  required  for  catching  as  many  fish  as  were  wanted. 
Doucie  was  fishing  one  day  in  the  dam  with  rod  and  line, 
when  he  hooked  a  large  fish,  and  not  wishing  to  put  off  time 
by  leading  the  fish  down  the  water,  he  turned  his  back  to 
the  stream,  putting  the  rod  on  his  shoulders,  walked  straight 
forward,  saying,  "  Your's  or  mine,  my  boy !  "  Another  day 
he  was  seen  coming  from  his  land  en  Walker's  Riggs  on 
horseback,  with  a  large  bundle  of  hay  on  his  back.  On  being 
asked  why  he  did  not  put  it  on  the  horse,  either  before  or 
behind  him,  he  answered,  "  Why,  to  be  sure,  doesn't  it  ease 
the  beast  me  carrying  it?"  He  was  a  great  believer  in 
witches  and  fairies.  His  failing  on  that  subject  being  well 
known,  one  day  as  he  was  going  to  his  land  early  in  the 
morning,  a  malicious  tailor  concealed  himself  with  a  pair 
of  bagpipes  among  the  bushes  which  grew  on  the  side  of 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  131 

On  the  estate  was  a  farm  called  Boghall,  now 
incorporated  with  the  farms  of  Holnbush  and  Park 
House,  which  had  been  occupied  by  a  family  of 
Sprot  for  more  than  two  centuries.  One  of  the 
family,  named  Habby,  was  of  great  strength,  and 
on  more  than  one  occasion  did  good  service  to  the 
laird  of  Gala  in  repelling  the  English  marauders 
or  the  predatory  expeditions  of  neighbouring  lairds. 
In  an  incursion  made  by  a  party  of  Englishmen, 
all  the  cattle  of  the  town  were  carried  away.  Next 
morning  the  men  of  Galashiels,  horse  and  foot,  were 
called  out  to  follow  the  laird.  Habby  turned  out 
armed  with  a  scythe  tied  to  the  end  of  a  pole — a 


the  Lint  Burn.  On  Doucie  approaching  the  spot  where 
the  tailor  lay,  the  latter  struck  up  "Dainty  Davie." 
Doucie,  imagining  that  it  was  the  fairies  who  were  enjoying 
themselves  before  the  sun  rosy,  got  such  a  fright,  that  he 
immediately  turned  his  horse's  head  and  rode  at  full  speed 
to  the  town,  believing  to  his  dying  day  that  it  was  the 
"  Fairy  folks  whom  he  heard.  One  day,  when  Doucie 
was  returning  from  his  land  in  Walker  Rigg's  with  a  load  of 
hay  on  his  back,  some  person  went  behind  him  and  set  fire 
to  it.  Doucie,  unconscious  of  the  fire  behind  him,  walked 
into  the  town  with  the  flaming  hay  on  his  back,  and  it  was 
with  considerable  difficulty,  and  after  being  severely  burned, 
that  he  got  the  burden  off  his  back. 

"  Robin  Timmerman"  was  another  character  of  Gala- 
shiels. About  the  end  of  last  century  the  plantation  on 
Gala-Hill  took  fire  by  accident  and  was  burned  down.  It 
happened  during  the  night,  when  most  of  the  people  were 
in  bed,  amongst  others  Robin,  with  his  faithful  partner  in 
life  by  his  side.     Awakened  by  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the 


132  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

dangerous  weapon  in  the  hands  of  a  person  of  such 
strength.  The  laird,  at  the  head  of  his  followers, 
started  in  pursuit  of  the  English,  and  overtook 
them  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Tweed,  when  a 
fight  ensued.  The  English  leader  distinguishing 
the  laird,  determined  to  end  the  fray  by  slaying 
him,  and,  setting  his  spear  in  rest,  rode  at  him  full 

people  running  to  the  fire,  she  sat  upright  in  bed.  Her 
first  thoughts,  on  seeing  the  glare  of  the  conflagration,  and 
hearing  the  crowd  of  people  rushing  past,  was  that  the  day 
of  judgment  had  arrived.  She  accordingly  awoke  her  hus- 
band by  giving  him  a  nudge  in  the  side  with  her  elbow,  and 
said  to  him,  "  Eh  !  mon  Robin,  Robin,  get  up,  for  here's  the 
last  day  corned."  Robin,  however,  by  no  means  pleased  at 
being  aroused  from  a  comfortable  nap,  only  turned  over  on 
to  his  other  side,  and  answered  the  appalling  information  of 
his  trembling  spouse  by  saying  to  her,  "  Houts,  woman,  lie 
down,  whae'er  heard  tell  o'  the  last  day  coming  i'  the  middle 
o'  the  nicht."  One  night  after  Robin's  door  was  locked  for 
the  night,  some  wags  collected  together  a  quantity  of  turf, 
and  piled  them  up  against  Robin's  window  so  as  effectually 
to  debar  the  light.  Robin  awoke  at  his  usual  time  in  the 
morning,  and,  thinking  it  about  time  to  get  up,  arose  and 
opened  the  shutters;  however,  seeing  it  was  dark,  he 
thought  he  had  arisen  too  early,  and  returned  to  bed.  He 
fell  asleep,  but  awoke  in  a  short  time,  got  up,  looked  out 
with  the  same  result,  and  again  returned  to  bed.  Five  or 
six  times  throughout  the  day  did  Robin  go  through  the  same 
performance,  till  at  last,  able  to  stand  it  no  longer,  he  went  to 
the  door,  and  to  his  astonishment,  instead  of  its  being  too 
soon  for  people  to  go  to  work,  he  got  to  the  door  just  as 
everybody  was  passing  from  it.  Robin  was  in  a  great  rage, 
but  he  never  discovered  the  persons  who  played  the  trick  on 
him. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  133 

tilt.  The  laird,  perceiving  his  danger,  called  out 
to  Habby  Sprot,  who  stood  between  him  and  his 
careering  foe,  "  Strike,  Habby,  strike!"  The 
deadly  weapon  of  Habby  went  whistling  round  his 
head  for  an  instant,  and,  descending  on  the  head 
of  the  unfortunate  Englishman,  clove  him  to  the 
chin,  and  thus  saved  the  laird's  life.  The  English, 
seeing  their  leader  fall,  turned  and  fled,  leaving  all 
their  spoil  behind  them,  and  the  rightful  owners 
returned  in  triumph  to  the  town.  Tradition  has 
it,  that  one  of  Habby's  lineal  descendants  went  to 
India,  and,  returning  home  very  rich,  left  at  his 
death  £60,000  to  one  of  the  Sprots  of  Boghall, 
under  the  condition  that  he  would  purchase  an 
estate  with  it  in  Eoxburghshire.  The  estate  of 
Kiddell,  which  had  been  in  the  family  of  that 
name  since  the  twelfth  century,  being  in  the 
market  at  that  time,  was  purchased  with  the 
money. 

On  the  summit  of  the  Kink  Hill,  on  this  estate, 
there  are  the  remains  of  a  strong  British  fort  of 
an  elliptical  form,  measuring  90  yards  by  65 
yards  within,  and  defended  by  two  ditches  on 
the  outside,  and  an  inner  rampart  of  stone.  The 
rampart  is  12  feet  high,  and  the  fosse  11  feet 
below  the  top  of  the  rampart  and  32  feet  wide. 
On  the  west  is  a  circular  bastion,  extending  32 
yards  from  the  outside  of  the  ditch.  On  the  north- 
east, and  about  100  yards  from  the  ditch,  are  three 
parallel  breast-works,  with  their  ends  towards  the 


134  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

camp,  the  eastermost  of  which  is  connected  with  a 
fort  100  yards  to  the  south-east,  of  a  kind  of  circu- 
lar form   25  yards  in  diameter,  and  about  150 
yards  from  the  south-east  end  of  the  camp.     About 
400  yards  from  these  parallel  works,  on  the  west, 
the  camp  has  been  protected  by  a  circular  fort  of 
nearly  the  same  size  and  form  as  the  one  on  the  east, 
and  a  ditch  running  from  it  joining  the  Catrail  to 
the  south  of  the  camp,  with  another  branch  going 
direct  to  the  place  where  the  Catrail  crosses  the 
Tweed  near  to  Howdenpot  Burn.     Between  Tweed 
and  the  camp,  the  Catrail  is  in  some  places  well 
defined,  especially  for  about  150  yards  where  it 
passes  behind  Rink  farm-house,   at   which  place 
it  is   about   100  yards   distant  from  the  camp. 
After  this,  there  are  faint  traces  of  it  for  about  500 
yards,   it  then  becomes   distinct  till  it  enters  a 
small  circular  camp   or  fort  about  30  yards  in 
diameter,   nearly  on  a  line  with  the  east  end  of 
the  Eink  camp,  and  about  300  yards  from  the 
branch  of  it  which  is  to  the  north  of  the  camp. 
This  small  circular  camp  or  fort  is  defended  by 
an  outer  rampart  of  stone.     Between  this  small 
fort  and  the  old  road  is  another  fort,  which  seems 
to    have  been   defended   in    the    same    manner. 
The  Rink  camp  is  entered  at  the  east  end  by  the 
northern  branch  of  the  Catrail,  which  runs  north 
east  from  the  camp  for  several  hundred  yards,  and 
then  bends  in  a  northerly  direction  to  the  fort  on 
Parkhouse  Hill  on  its  way  to  Torwoodlee.     At  the 


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KOXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  135 

bend  it  is  defended  by  a  square  fort  of  22  yards 
broad.  It  is  here  well  defined,  and  of  22  feet 
in  breadth.  At  a  short  distance  from  this  bend 
it  communicated  with  a  lake  near  to  the  old 
road,  and  not  far  from  Holnbush  farm.  From 
Parkhouse  Hill  it  proceeded  by  Mosilee,  to  a  fort 
near  Lintburn,  with  which  it  communicated.  From 
this  fort  it  passed  close  by  Leebrae  House,  beyond 
which  part  of  it  has  been  carried  away  by  the 
Gala -Water.  It  then  passed  by  the  west  of  Tor- 
woodlee  mansion  to  the  fort  on  Torwoodlee  Hill, 
where  it  seems  to  have  terminated,  at  least  it  has 
not  been  traced  further.*  From  the  Kink  the 
work  goes  in  a  south-west  direction,  and  passes  the 
Tweed  near  to  Howdenpot  Burn,  from  thence  to 
Cribbshill,  passes  along  the  south-east  side  of  M  inch - 
muir,  crosses  the  Yarrow  at  Redhouse,  and  the 
Ettrick  near  Deloraine  Burn.  In  its  course  it  passes 
the  Borthwick,  Teviot,  and  the  Allan,  and  on  to 
Dawstonrig.t  In  this  place  about  300  yards 
of  it  is  seen  running  between  two  small  forts 
close  upon  the  river  Liddel.  The  forts  appear  as 
if  placed  for  the  protection  of  the  entrance,  the 
ramparts  of  the  way  joining  the  inner  ramparts  of 

*  The  description  of  this  part  of  the  work  is  from  a  survey 
made  several  years  ago.  Since  that  time  agricultural  im- 
provements have  destroyed  a  great  portion  of  the  work ; 
but  it  was  thought  better  to  describe  it  as  it  appeared  at  the 
time  the  survey  was  made. 

f  Supra,  vol.  i.  pp.  197-202. 


136  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  forts.  Between  Caldron  burn,  which  rises  near 
Singden,  and  flows  into  the  Liddel  a  short  distance 
above  these  forts,  and  one  of  the  sources  of  that 
river,  nearly  400  yards  can  be  traced,  and  about 
50  yards  where  it  crosses  the  said  source  of  the 
Liddel,  and  between  that  river  and  the  Wheel- 
causeway,  which  passes  the  site  of  the  Wheel 
Church,  140  yards  is  to  be  seen.  It  would  appear 
that  the  constructors  of  the  work  had  intended 
the  principal  part  of  it  to  terminate  on  these  two 
forts  on  the  Liddel.  Between  the  Kink  and 
Wheelchurch  the  Catrail  consists  throughout  its 
whole  course  of  a  ditch  and  rampart  on  each 
side.  On  the  north  end,  near  Torwoodlee,  it  is 
a  ditch  and  single  rampart. 

The  honour  of  the  discovery  of  this  important 
remain  is  due  to  Gordon,  who  visited  this  part  of 
the  kingdom  in  1720.  He  traced  it  from  the 
Kink  Camp  to  beyond  Dawstonrig,  till  it  almost 
joined  "  a  wall  formerly  made  by  the  Earl  of  North- 
umberland, as  a  boundary  between  England  and 
Scotland,  at  a  hill  called  the  Pirle  Fell,*  on  the 
deadwater  near  the  source  of  the  river  Tyne  in 
England."  He  took  good  care  to  ascertain  its 
exact  measurements  at  various  places  of  its  course. 
At  the  Kink  Hill  he  found  it  25  feet  broad,  with 
ramparts  9  or  10  feet  high  from  the  bottom  of  the 
ditch,  and  8  or  10  in  breadth.  Before  crossing  the 
Yarrow  it  measured  18  feet  in  breadth,  and  at 

*  Peel  Fell.     In  the  English  map  it  is  called  Pearl  Fell. 


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137 

Stanhopelaw  16  feet.  At  the  Doecleugli  it  measured 
26  feet  in  breadth,  and  while  mounting  the  Carriage 
Hill,  from  24  to  26  feet,  the  ramparts  on  each  side 
being  6  or  7  feet  in  perpendicular  height,  and  from 
10  to  12  feet  thick,  "the  whole  being  great  and 
visible,  as  well  on  that  hill  as  on  the  south  side." 
Between  the  Maidenpaps  and  Leepsteel  he  found 
it  fully  26  feet  broad.  At  a  place  called  the  Abbey 
it  measured  its  ordinary  breadth  of  26  feet.  In 
another  journey  made  by  Mr  Gordon,  he  says  he 
discerned  a  more  distinct  track  near  Langholm, 
"  whence  it  runs  towards  Canonby  on  the  river 
Esk,  which  bounds  Cumberland  from  Scotland, 
but  could  not  perceive  its  vestiges  further."  Dr 
Douglas  surveyed  this  work  for  Mr  Chalmers  in 
the  beginning  of  this  century,  and  found  the 
measurements  to  vary  at  different  places ;  but  in 
parts  where  it  was  pretty  entire,  on  the  north  of 
Rink  Hill,  on  Doecleugh,  Carriage  Hill,  Leapsteel, 
and  at  the  Abbey,  the  breadth  was  from  25  to  26 
feet.  In  one  place  the  work  measured  27  f  eet. 
In  some  places  Dr  Douglas  found  the  ramparts 
not  much  exceeding  3  feet  high,  and  he  was  told 
by  the  farmers  in  Ettrick  Forest  that  the  remains 
had  greatly  diminished  in  their  remembrance,  and 
that  the  traces  were  becoming  less  visible  every 
day.  Nearly  ninety  years  passed  between  Gordon's 
survey  and  that  of  Dr  Douglas.  After  the  lapse  of 
sixty  years  the  ordnance  surveyors  found  the  work 
where  it  passed  Girnwood  farm  on  the  Borthwick, 


138  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

to  be  28  feet  in  breadth,  including  ramparts,  which 
were  4  feet  high  ;  after  passing  the  Broadlee  Burn, 
26  feet  in  breadth,  and  ramparts  from  5  to  6  feet 
high  ;  on  Doecleugh  22  feet  in  breadth,  and  ram- 
parts 5  feet  high.*  Variations  in  these  measure- 
ments may  easily  be  accounted  for  by  the  demolition 
of  the  work  in  some  places,  and  in  others  to  the 
ramparts  falling  in,  thus  lessening  their  own  height, 
and  the  breadth  of  the  ditch.  Before  another 
hundred  years  have  run  their  course,  this  vast  work 
may  be  entirely  lost.  Mr  Gordon  thinks  that  this 
great  work  was  made  as  a  boundary-line  at  the 
conclusion  of  a  peace  between  Septimus  Severus 
and  the  Caledonians,  as  mentioned  by  Xephilin 
from  Dio.  It  could  not  be  a  military  way  he  says, 
as  the  ditch  between  the  ramparts  destroys  that 
conclusion.f  Maitland  was  of  opinion  that  it  was 
a  Boman  way.  Whitaker  refers  the  work  to  the 
period  after  the  Komans  left,  and  that  it  was  con- 
structed as  a  dividing  fence  between  the  Bomanized 
Britons  and  the  Saxon  invaders.  Chalmers  agrees 
with  Whitaker,  and  observes  that  Gordon  ought 
to  have  recollected  that  this  work  is  in  the  country 
of  the  Bomanized  Britons  of  Valentia,  and  lies  far 
from  the  land  of  Maetaa  and  Caledonians.  He  also 
remarks  that  the  remains  which  Gordon  saw' near 
Langholm,  pointing  to  Northumberland,  cannot 

*  The  accompanying  map  of  the  work  in  Roxburghshire 
was  kindly  furnished  by  the  ordnance  surveyors, 
f  Itin.  Septen,  pp.  101-4. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  139 

"  be  connected  with  the  Catrail,  which  he  left  at 
Peelfell,  which  is  more  than  eighteen  miles  north- 
east from  Langholm  and  Canonby,  having  the 
whole  extent  of  Liddesdale  betwen  them.  A 
Koman  vicinal  road,  indeed,  led  past  Canonby  and 
Langholm,  up  Eskdale  to  Castleover.  Gordon, 
perhaps  from  a  superficial  view  of  this  way,  has 
supposed  it  to  be  the  continuation  of  the  Catrail, 
though  it  must  be  confessed  they  are  very  much 
alike/'* 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  Catrail  is  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  Maiden  Way,  but  such  a  view  is 
untenable.  The  Maiden  Way  is  a  Eoman  road 
running  from  Maiden  Castle  on  Stainmore,  by 
Kirby  Thore  in  Westmoreland  and  Whytley,  to 
Caervoran  in  Northumberland,  thence  over  Spade 
Edom  to  Bewcastle,  (the  Apiacorium  station),  to 
the  Scots  border,  when  it  assumes  the  name  of  the 
Wheel  Causeway.  A  portion  of  this  road  is  laid 
down  in  a  map  made  in  1590  for  the  English 
Government.*  Gordon,  when  he  surveyed  this 
part  of  the  country,  laid  the  Maiden  Way  and 
Wheel  Causeway  down  on  his  map  as  one  and  the 
same  road.  The  learned  Hutchison  made  a  par- 
ticular examination  of  the  Maiden  Way,  and  des- 
cribes it  as  nearly  six  yards  wide,  the  sides  formed 
by  lines  of  very  large  pebbles,  from  whence,  in  an 

*  Caledonia,  vol.  i.  p.  240. 

t  Vide  Map  of  Liddesdale,  sub. 


140  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

easy  bow,  the  interior  pavement  rises  to  a  crown. 
Where  the  road  goes  down  steep  descents,  the 
pavement  is  formed  of  flat  thin  stones,  placed  on 
their  edges,  and  laid  transversely.  This  road  has 
been  repaired  by  the  Twentieth  Legion,  as  a  cen- 
turial  stone  discovered  thereon  denotes.  On  the 
stone  is  inscribed  "  vexillatio  legionis  vicesemae 
valentis  victricis  refecit."  The  mountain  road 
from  Bewcastle  Kirk  to  Gilsland,  a  distance  of 
seven  or  eight  miles,  follows  the  Maiden  Way  over 
Spade  Edom  for  four  or  five  miles.  The  forma- 
tion of  the  way  is  quite  visible.  The  road  retains 
the  same  character  in  Scotland.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  of  this  road  being  a  Koman  way.  But  there 
exists  no  likeness  between  it  and  the  Catrail.  The 
latter  is  a  ditch,  with  earthen  ramparts  on  each 
side,  unpaved,  and  without  any  stations  throughout 
its  whole  course  of  forty-five  miles.  While  the 
Boman  ways  go  straight  onwards  over  mosses  and 
mountains,  the  Catrail  bends  round  any  obstacle, 
stops  at  a  difficult  place,  and  resumes  its  course 
on  the  other  side.  In  a  word,  it  is  impossible  for 
any  person  possessed  of  any  knowledge  of  the  roads 
made  by  the  Romans,  to  hold  that  the  Catrail  has 
any  connection  whatever  with  any  works  made  by 
that  great  people,  or  under  their  direction,  "that 
this  work  was  intended  for  military  purposes  as  well 
as  for  a  fence,  is  evident  from  its  terminating  in  Tor- 
woodlee  fort  on  the  north,  and  running  into  the  Bink 
and  other  forts  on  the  north  of  the  Tweed,  and  into 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  14  L 

two  forts  near  Hudhouse  on  the  Liddell,  on  its 
south  end.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  objects 
of  this  work,  no  other  conclusion  can  be  come  to, 
on  examining  the  neighbourhood  of  Rink  Hill, 
than  that  a  fearful  struggle  had  been  going  on  be- 
tween two  peoples  at  the  time  the  works  were 
formed.  On  the  south  side  of  the  Tweed,  opposite 
to  Eink,  and  as  far  east  as  the  Watling  Street,  the 
whole  ground  is  covered  with  similar  works,  denot- 
ing the  greatness  of  the  strife. 


142  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 


CHAPTER  III. 

OF   THE   BARONY   OF   BOWDEN. 

In  the  charters  of  Earl  David,  of  pious  memory, 
to  the  Tyronesiaii  monks  whom  he  settled  at 
Selkirk  in  1115,  the  name  of  this  place  is  written 
Bothendene,  and  under  the  name  of  Bouldene  it 
appears  in  the  grant  to  them  on  their  removal  to 
Kelso.  When  Malcolm  IY.  confirmed  these  grants 
to  the  monks  of  Kelso,  the  name  was  Botheldene. 
In  the  confirmation  charter  of  Pope  Innocent  IV., 
it  is  written  Boweden  and  Bowden,  and  Boldene 
in  writs  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  etymology 
of  the  name  is  uncertain,  but  Chalmers,  who  is  a 
high  authority  in  such  matters,  thinks  it  is  derived 
from  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  is  intended  to  describe 
a  manor  or  dwelling-place  at  the  dene  or  valley. 
The  situation  of  the  town  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
dene  which  begins  a  little  to  the  westward  of  the 
church  and  terminates  at  the  Tweed  opposite  to 
Dryburgh.  Down  this  dene,  a  burn,  named  from 
the  town,  flows  into  the  Tweed.  Bowden  is  first 
seen  in  the  charter  of  Prince  David,  who  granted 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  143 

to  the  monks  the  lands  of  Selkirk,  bounded  "  as  a 
rivulet  descending  from  the  hills  falls  into  the 
Gieura  (Yarrow),  to  that  rivulet  which  descend- 
ing from  Crossinemore  runs  into  the  Tweed,  and 
beyond  the  same  rivulet  which  falls  into  the 
Gieura  a  particular  piece  of  land  between  the  road 
which  goes  by  the  castle  to  the  abbey  and  the 
Gieura,  viz.,  towards  the  old  town,"  and  also  the 
"town of  Middleham,  and  Bothendene,  and  Aldona, 
in  every  respect  as  I  enjoy  them  in  lands,  and 
waters,  in  woods,  and  cleared  ground/'  In  the 
foundation  charter  to  the  abbey  of  Kelso,  the  king 
added  thirty  acres  of  land  in  Lilliesleaf,  lying 
"  between  the  Alne  and  the  rivulet  which  divides 
the  lands  of  Middleham,  and  of  Lilliesleaf,  and 
the  tithes  of  the  mill  of  Lilliesleaf,  and  Withelaw, 
according  to  its  due  bounds/'  To  the  lands  of 
Selkirk  the  king  added  "my  waters  about  Seles- 
church,  as  free  to  fish  in  with  their  fishermen  as  to 
me  with  mine,  and  my  woods  for  building  their 
houses  and  for  fuel,  as  free  to  them  as  me/'  On 
Malcolm  IV.  confirming  these  grants,  he  gave,  in 
addition  to  Withelaw,  Whitemere,  with  its  right 
divisions.  The  barony  seems  to  have  consisted  of 
the  lands  of  Bolden,  Faudon,  Whitmere,  Whitlaw, 
Halidon,  that  part  of  the  town  and  lands  of  Selkirk 
belonging  to  the  monks,  Middleham,  Clarilaw, 
Newton,  and  lands  in  Lilliesleaf.  Between  1250 
and  1567,  the  abbot's  barony  often  appears,  and 
seems  to  have  been  governed  by  a  provost  appointed 


144  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

by  the  monks  so  early  as  1250.  In  1343,  the 
lands  and  towns  mentioned  above  were,  along  with 
the  other  property  of  the  monks,  erected  into  a 
regality  by  David  II.,  confirmed  by  Kobert  III.  in 
1390.  The  barony  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
monks  till  the  Reformation,  when  it  passed  into  the 
family  of  Cessford,  with  whom  it  still  remains. 

The  town  of  Bowden  seems  to  have  been  the 
principal  place  of  the  barony.  Here  the  monks 
had  a  grange,  consisting  of  twenty-eight  husband- 
lands*  let  out  to  husbandmen  at  a  money  rent  of 
6s.  8d.  each  a-year.  Besides  this  rent,  the  husband- 
man had  to  perform  services  to  the  monks,  such  as 
working  four  days  during  harvest  with  his  wife  and 
whole  family  ;  four  days  in  autumn  with  two  men ; 
to  furnish  a  wain  with  oxen  to  carry  peats  from 
the  moss  at  Gordon  to  the  stable  yard  of  the  abbey 
for  one  day,  and  to  carry  one  cart  load  of  peats  to 
the  abbey  during  summer,  one  day  and  not  more ; 
to  go  once  a  year  to  Berwick,  with  a  single  horse- 
cart,  and  the  husbandman  who  did  not  go  to  Ber- 
wick was  obliged  to  work  three  days.  Every  hus- 
bandman was  in  use  to  cultivate  an  acre  and  a-half 
at  the  grange  of  Newton  every  year,  and  to  harrow 
with  one  horse  for  a  day.  On  this  grange  of  New- 
ton, which  the  monks  laboured  with  five  ploughs, 
they  had  eighty  oxen,  six  cows  in  summer,  and 
sixty  cows  in  winter,  to  fodder  ;  one  thousand  ewes, 

*  Each  husbandland  contained  about  26  acres  Scots  mea- 
sure, or  32  English. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  145 

sixty  swine,  with  sufficient  horses  to  work  the 
ploughs,*  besides  wains  in  use.  The  husbandmen 
were  obliged  to  carry  the  wool  of  this  grange  to  the 
Abbey,  and  to  find  carriages  beyond  the  moors  to  Les- 
mahago.  The  roads*must  have  been  very  wretched, 
and  the  carriages  to  Lesmahago  a  great  burden  on 
the  husbandman.  The  monks  had  to  pay  for  right  of 
passage  through  lands  where  roads  did  not  exist, 
which  is  thought  to  have  been  the  origin  of  servi- 
tude roads,  t  While  the  husbandman  performed 
these  services,  he  got  his  victuals  from  the  Abbey, 
excepting  when  engaged  in  washing  and  shearing 
the  sheep.  Each  husbandman  took  in  lease  with 
his  land  two  oxen,  one  horse,  three  chalders  of  oats, 
six  bolls  of  barley,  and  three  bolls  of  meal, — which 
is  thought  to  be  the  origin  of  steelbow.  In  1297, 
Abbot  Kichard  converted  these  services  into  a 
money  payment  of  12s.  yearly  for  each  husband- 
land.  The  monks  had  thirty-six  cottages  in  Bow- 
den,  with  an  acre  and  a-half  and  half  a  rood  to 
each  cottage,  and  the  rents  of  the  whole  amounted 
to  55s.  8d.  a-year,  with  nine  days'  work  in  harvest, 
and  to  find  one  man  for  washing  and  shearing 
sheep.  Every  house  furnished  to  the  abbot  a  hen 
at  Christmas  for  a  halfpenny. 


*  Rent-roll  of  the  abbey  made  up  about  1316. 

f  By  an  old  law  of  Scotland,  when  travellers  required  to 
pass  a  night  on  their  way,  the  neighbouring  lands  were 
bound  to  provide  for  the  cattle  for  one  night. 
K 


146  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

In  addition  to  the  lands  which  the  husbandmen 
cultivated,  they  all  had  a  right  of  common  pasture 
in  the  territory  for  their  bestial,  according  to  the 
extent  of  the  lands  occupied  by  them,  and  each 
cottager  or  cotlander  had  the  same  right  for  a  sow 
and  her  pigs.  There  were  four  brew-houses  in  the 
town,  each  of  which  let  at  10s.}  and  each  tenant 
was  bound  to  sell  the  abbot  a  lagan  and  a-half  of 
ale  for  a  penny.  The  lagan  was  equal  to  seven 
quarts.  The  mill  of  the  grange  let  at  eight  marks 
annually,  to  which  all  the  men  of  the  territory 
were  astricted.  At  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury there  were  seventy  families  in  the  town. 

In  1643,  a  charter  was  granted  by  Kobert,  Earl 
of  Roxburgh,  to  the  possessors  of  lands  and  houses 
in  the  territory  of  Bowden,  which  proceeds  on  the 
narrative  that  the  persons  named  in  the  charter, 
their  authors  and  predecessors,  had  been  native*  and 
kindly  tenants  and  possessors  of  the  parts  and  por- 
tions of  the  lands  mentioned  in  the  writ,  and  had 
certain  rights  or  feus  of  the  lands,  but  which, 
by  the  law  of  the  realm,  were  null  and  void,  but 
the  noble  Earl  being  most  willing  that  his  tenants 
should  be  continued  in  the  possession,  whereof 
they  and  their  authors  and  predecessors  had 
been  so  long  native  and  kindly  tenants  and 
possessors,  he  therefore  gave,  and  granted  to  them 
infeftments  and  rights  of  the  same,  to  be  held  of 

*  Bondsmen. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  147 

the  noble  Earl  and  his  successors.  The  kindly- 
tenants  of  JBowden  were  John  Millner,  Janet  An- 
derson, James  Lawson,  in  Duddingston,  Thomas 
Thorburn,  George  Bold  elder,  Andrew  Turnbull, 
John  Briggs,  George  Bold,  younger,  Alexander 
Veitch,  Eebecca  Kerr,  David  Douglas,  William 
Douglas,  Andrew,  son  to  the  deceased  George 
Kerr  of  Newhall,  James  Edgar,  James  Wallace, 
smith,  William  Sibbald,  Andrew  Harvie  in  Faugh- 
hill,  Andrew  Bonaldson,  William  Konaldson,  Mark 
Kerr,  called  Kippielaw,  Adam  Aird  in  Bowden- 
burnbrae,  James  Hogg,  William  Hogg,  William 
Blackie,  Andrew  Vair,  Thomas  Hallewell  in  Kelso, 
Andrew  Huggan,  William  Turnbull,  William 
Walker,  George  Ronaldson,  John  Walker,  John 
Cranston,  Mark  Swanston,  Nicol  Swanston,  Thomas 
Drauchill,  George  Hastie,  George  Boniton,  James 
Bouden  in  Kelso,  Nicol  Hogg,  George  Paterson. 
The  lands  possessed  by  the  feuars  on  the  lands  of 
Bowden  were  bounded  as  follows  : — 

"  Beginning  at  the  south  end  of  the  march  dyke,  at  the 
east  side  of  Harcars  to  Bowden  burn,  up  the  said  burn  to 
the  north  end  of  the  Kirk  loan  easter  dyke,  thence  south- 
ward along  the  east  side  of  Crossrig,  Millrig,  the  Oxfaulds, 
and  Camistonrig ;  thence  west  the  south  end  thereof  to 
Kippilaw  syke;  thence  west  the  said  syke  to  Rowchester 
dyke  ;  thence  north  the  said  dyke  to  a  syke  called  Philliek- 
syke,  and  west  the  said  syke  to  the  Falzions  south  knowe  ; 
thence  to  the  wester  of  the  double  dykes ;  thence  north  the 
said  dyke  to  the  Park  dyke  of  Holydean,  thence  east  the 
south  side  thereof  to  Luchenhaughdam ;  thence  east  the 
north  side  of  the  miller  meadow  to  a  march  stone  and  an 


148  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

allarbush  ;  thence  southward  to  the  swathe  of  Bowden  bog 
by  the  bushes  to  the  Kirkloanhead  ;  thence  north  the  west 
dyke  of  the  kirk  loan  to  the  easter  corner  of  the  Kirkyard 
dyke  ;  thence  west  the  north  side  thereof  to  the  minister's 
yard  and  onsett  northside  west  by  the  Shillinghill  dyke  to 
the  Clousshead,  thence  up  the  Callasburn  to  the  north  end 
of  the  dyke  in  the  Callasland  to  the  foresaid  march-stone 
and  allarbush,  including  the  minister's  manse  and  glebe  ; 
thence  north  from  the  said  march-stone  and  allarbush  by 
the  said  Callasland  balk  to  the  said  Callasburn  to  the  new 
dyke  at  the  west  end  of  the  Burnbrae  ;  thence  north  to  the 
little  burn,  thence  east  to  the  foot  of  the  Langwalk  balk  ; 
thence  north  the  said  balk  to  the  east  end  of  the  Camp- 
knowe  ;  thence  to  the  well  at  the  west  end  of  Andrew  Vair's 
yard ;  thence  to  the  south  end  of  the  flatgate ;  thence  to 
the  orchard  syke  northward  ;  thence  west  the  said  syke  to 
the  march-stones ;  thence  west  the  dyke,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  said  syke,  to  the  Hazeldean  burn  dyke ; 
thence  west  the  dyke  by  the  north  end  of  Bowdenlands ; 
west  the  said  dyke  to  the  west  side  of  Coldside  ;  thence  south 
to  the  south  side  of  the  haining  burn  ;  thence  west  to  a  great 
stone  at  the  west  side  of  the  ford  at  the  foot  of  my  Lady's 
Moss  ;  thence  north  to  the  eastmost  dyke  lying  west ;  and 
thence  north  to  a  grey  stone  on  the  foot  of  the  Blacklaw- 
brae ;  thence  to  another  stone  on  the  head  of  the  said  brae  ; 
thence  straight  north  to  a  quawell  on  the  north  side  of 
Bowden  Muir ;  thence  down  a  cleuch  by  the  thorn  trees  to 
the  march  dyke  foot  on  the  west  end  of  four  butts  of  arable 
land  ;  thence  to  a  dyke  lying  eastward  by  Darnick  lands  ; 
thence  by  the  lands  of  Huntlywood ;  thence  as  the  said 
dyke  lies  south  up  the  brow  of  the  hill ;  hence  east  the  said 
dyke  to  a  syke  lying  northward  down  to  a  north  dyke  by 
the  south  side  of  the  lands  of  Danieltown  ;  thence  east  the 
said  dyke  to  the  foot  of  the  middle  hill ;  thence  over  the  top 
of  the  said  hill  called  the  Middle-mountain  ;  thence  down  the 
east  side  thereof  to  a  grey  stone  above  the  north  well ;  thence 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  149 

to  a  dyke  at  the  west  end  of  Mein's  close ;  thence  south  the 
said  dyke  to  Sprouston  burn  ;  thence  down  the  said  burn  to  a 
dyke  called  Sproustonburn  dyke ;  thence  south  the  said  dyke 
to  Ekedean  burn  ;  thence  down  the  said  burn  to  a  dyke  to 
the  east  side  of  the  lands  of  Whitriggs ;  thence  south  the  said 
dyke  to  the  south  end  of  the  said  Harcars." 

The  duty  paid  for  each  husbandland  was  12s.  6d., 
one  cain  fowl,  one  half  long  carriage,  one  short 
carriage,  a  day  and  a  half's  work  in  harvest,  and 
other  duties  and  services,  used  and  wont.  The 
feuars  were  bound  to  attend  three  times  in  the  year 
at  the  head  court  at  Kelso,  or  any  other  place 
within  the  Lordship  of  Holydean.  The  lands  were 
astricted  to  the  mill  of  Bowden.  The  feuars  were 
also  obliged  to  ride  with  the  noble  earl  and  his 
bailies  when  desired,  and  to  have  horse,  armour, 
and  other  necessaries,  according  to  the  use  of  the 
country. 

In  1753  Eastfield  and  the  moor  of  Bowden,  held 
in  common,  were  divided  by  the  Sheriff.  They 
contained  866  acres,  valued  at  £187, 12s.  9d.  The 
lands  of  Eastfield  consisted  of  14 \  husbandlands. 
The  south  field  was  also  divided.  It  contained  6 
husbandlands,  and  had  the  same  right  to  the  moor. 
Each  husbandland  had  right  to  6  soums,  each 
soum  consisted  of  a  cow  or  horse,  and  10  sheep. 
The  town  has  still  a  common  of  about  30  acres, 
which  the  feuars  let  annually  as  pasturage.  On 
this  common  the  inhabitants  generally  have  the 
privilege  of  cutting  turfs  and  divots  for  repair  of 


150  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

their   houses.      At  the  time  of  the  division  few- 
changes  had  taken  place  in  the  names  of  the 
owners  of  the  land  from  the  date  of  the  charter. 
The  town  of  Bowden  consists  chiefly  of  the  houses 
of  the  feuars.     The  writer  of  the  Old  Statistical 
Account  says  that  the  site  of  a  tower  near  the  village 
was  pointed  out  in  his  day  as  belonging  to  St 
Bothan  ;  but  it  is  more  likely  to  have  been  the  re- 
sidence of  the  provost  or  bailie  of  the  barony. 
Like  all  the  other  border  towns,  Bowden  contained 
several  towers  or  houses  of  defence,  containing  on 
the  ground  an  apartment  for  cattle,  and  in  the  up- 
per storey  the  apartments  of  the  family,  to  which 
they  had  access  by  an  outer  stone  stair.     The  re- 
mains of  one  of  these  houses  are  still  to  be  seen. 
The  old  baronial  cross  stands  as  it  did  in  the  days 
of  the  pious  monks.      It  consists  of  two  large 
boulder-like  stones  laid  one  upon  the  other,  the  top 
of  the  upper  one  being  cut  into  for  the  insertion  of 
a  small-armed  cross  of  stone.     There  is  a  good 
schoolhouse  in  the  town,  which  is  attended  by  an 
average  number  of  eighty  scholars.     The  salary 
is  £30  sterling,  with  fees.     There  is  a  parish  library 
and  a  sabbath-school  library  in  the  town. 

The  Over-mill  of  Bowden  was,  at  the  date  of 
Earl  Kobert's  charter,  in  the  possession  of  Mark 
Ker,  called  Kippielaw,  and  was  held  by  him  pre- 
vious to  that  time  as  a  kindly  tenant.  He  obtained 
a  charter  to  two  husbandlands  in  the  territory  of 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  151 

the  town,  with  the  over-mill  and  the  multures 
thereof,  together  with  half  a  cotland,  houses,  and 
yards.  This  mill  was,  about  the  end  of  last  century, 
swept  away  by  the  rivulet  which  turned  it  being 
swollen  to  an  extraordinary  height  by  a  thunderstorm. 

Close  by  the  mill  stands  the  church  of  Bowden. 
It  was  the  property  of  the  monks  at  the  middle  of 
the  twelfth  century,  and  remained  with  them  till 
the  Keformation.  In  1180  it  was  confirmed  to  them 
by  Bishop  Josceline.*  It  was  also  confirmed  by 
King  William,  Bishop  Walter,  and  Pope  Innocent 
IV.  In  1273,  the  monks  of  Melrose  and  Kelso 
met  in  this  church  to  settle  a  dispute  as  to  the 
tithes  of  Moll  on  the  Bowmont  river.  In  Baia- 
mund's  roll  the  vicarage  of  Bowden  is  taxed  at 
£2, 13s.  4d.  In  the  rent-roll  of  the  abbey  of  Kelso, 
the  rectory  is  valued  at  £10,  13s.  4d.  The  Duke 
of  Koxburghe  is  patron. 

The  time  of  the  building  of  the  present  church 
is  not  known.  Over  the  south  door  is  the  date 
1666  ;  but  this  must  refer  to  the  period  when  the 
front  wall  was  rebuilt.  The  easter  portion  of  the 
church  is  very  old,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  part 
of  the  church  which  existed  at  the  Keformation. 
In  the  east  gable  there  is  a  circular  window.  Ad- 
joining the  east  end  of  the  church  is  the  burying 
place  of  the  Koxburghe  family.  The  coffins  stand 
above  ground,  and  some  of  them  must  have  stood 
for  nearly  300  years.     In  the  north  transept  of  the 

*  Lib.  de  Calchow,  p.  319. 


152         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

church  the  Kers  of  Cavers  are  interred.  An  aisle 
at  the  back  of  the  church,  next  to  the  transept,  con- 
tains the  ashes  of  the  family  of  Minto.  On  the  in- 
side of  the  south  wall  of  the  churchyard  have  been 
very  large  ash  trees.  The  two  middle  trees  were 
blown  down  a  few  years  ago,  one  of  which  mea- 
sured twenty-four  feet  at  the  ground.  Part  of  the 
trunks  are  still  standing.  In  the  graveyard,  the 
names  generally  occurring  on  the  tombstones  are 
Scott,  Harvey,  Thorburn,  Paterson,  Donaldson, 
Goodfellow,  Hogg,  Cochrane,  etc.  In  the  south- 
east corner  is  a  monument  erected  to  the  Kev. 
Thomas  Jolly,  said  to  be  the  "  Disruption"  mini- 
ster. The  monument  forms  a  contrast  to  another 
monument  nearly  opposite.  In  the  rent-roll  of  the 
abbey  of  1567,  the  town  of  Bowden  is  valued  at 
£32  sterling. 

Halidene. — This  estate  was  granted  by 
David  I.  to  the  monks  of  Kelso  and  marches 
with  the  lands  of  Bowden  on  the  east.  The 
onstead  is  about  two  miles  from  Bowden.  The 
monks  had  a  grange  here  containing  three 
plough-gates*  of  land,  with  pasture  for  80  cows 
and   260    sheep.      It   remained  with  the  abbey 

*  A  ploughgate  was  as  much  land  as  could  be  cultivated 
by  one  plough  in  the  year.  It  is  the  same  as  the  Dav-och, 
which  means  a  plough  to  which  eight  oxen  were  assigned. 
In  Teviotdale  it  consisted  of  about  104  acres,  or  8  ox-gangs 
of  13  acres  each.  In  some  parts  of  the  north  the  Dav-och 
was  extended  to  32  ox-gangs. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  153 

till  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  or  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixteenth,  when  the  family  of  Ker  of 
Cessford  acquired  it  from  them,  but  by  what  title 
is  not  known.     By  several  writers  it  is  said  that  the 
Kers  got  a  grant  of  this  estate  from  the  Crown 
originally,  but  it  is  clear  that  the  family  was  in 
possession  of  the  lands  long  before  the  grant  of  the 
King.     It  is  probable  that  the  monks  let  it  on  lease 
to  the  Kers  for  assistance  in  those  troublous  days. 
At  this  place  was  a  strongly  fortified  house  in  which 
the  family  resided.      "  The  court-yard  contained 
about  three  quarters  of  an  acre,  surrounded  by 
strong  stone  and  lime  walls,  4  feet  thick,  and  16 
feet  high,  with  slanting  holes  between  five  free- 
stones about  30  feet  from  each  other,  from  which 
an  arrow  or  musket  could  have  been  pointed  in 
different  directions.     Upon  an  arched  gateway  in 
front  there  was  a  strong  iron  gate.     Within  the 
court   stood   two    strong   towers,  the   one   three, 
the  other  live  storeys,  consisting  of  eight  or  ten 
lodgable  rooms,  besides  porters'  lodges,  servants 
hall,  vaulted  cellars,  bakehouses,  &c.     The  roof  and 
flooring  being  all  of  the  strongest  oak,  if  kept  in 
the  state  in  which  they  then  were,  might  have  stood 
for  a  century.    But  during  the  minority  of  the  Duke 
of  Koxburghe,*  and  while  he  was  abroad,  his  then 
commissioner,  without  his  knowledge,  ordered  this 
building  mostly  to  be  pulled  down,  merely  for  the 

*  John  the  third  Duke  of  Roxburghe,  about  104  years  ago. 


154  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OP 

sake  of  getting  the  freestones  in  them  to  build  a 
large  farm-house  and  appurtenances  at  the  distance 
of  three  miles,  though  the  difficulty  of  separating 
these  stones  from  the  lime  made  them  a  dear  pur- 
chase. One  of  the  large  vaults  still  remains,  and 
is  used  by  the  tenants  for  sheltering  carts  and  other 
agricultural  implements.*  The  old  bakehouse,  a 
gateway,  a  draw-well,  and  some  remains  of  old 
walls  are  all  that  now  remain.  A  stone,  now  a 
lintel  to  the  door  of  the  old  farm-house  (now  one 
of  the  farm-house  offices),  taken  originally  from 
some  doorway  of  the  older  building  when  this  house 
was  built,  has  in  the  middle  a  unicorn's  head  and 
three  stars,  with  this  inscription  on  either  side  :f 
— "  Fear.  God.  Flee.  From.  Sin.  Mak.  For.  The. 
Lyfe.  Everlastng.  To.  The.  End.  Dem.  Isbel. 
Ker.  1530."  At  a  short  distance  from  this  house  a 
chapel  seems  to  have  existed  at  an  early  period, 
with  its  accompanying  burying-ground.  A  number 
of  gravestones,  handles  of  coffins,  and  human  bones, 
have  been  dug  up  from  time  to  time.  The  writer 
of  the  Old  Statistical  Account  conjectures  that  this 
place  has  derived  its  name  from  the  chapel  being 
situated  at  the  dene — Halidene.  In  the  rent-roll 
of  the  abbey,  Halidene  with  the  pendicles  are 
entered.     "  The  great  deer  park  of  Halidene"  con- 

*  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  xvi.  p.  230. 
f  A  plan  of  the  original  building  was  made  some  years 
ago  by  Mr  John  Smith,  builder,  Darnick. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  155 

sisting  of  about  500  acres,  was  enclosed  by  a  dry- 
stone  dyke,  6  or  7  feet  high,  with  copestones.  The 
wall  has  stood  nearly  400  years,  and  forms  yet,  in 
some  places,  a  tolerable  fence.  Tradition  says  that 
it  was  once  full  of  wood,  but  it  was  long  since  sub- 
divided, and  the  trees  cut  down,  except  a  few  old 
birches,  which  are  still  to  be  seen.* 

Boy,  in  his  map  of  the  environs  of  the  Eildon 
Hills,  lays  down  a  road  running  from  Melrose  over 
Bowden  Moor,  passing  Whitlaw  on  the  west,  and 
pointing  for  Greenhill.  It  is  probable  that  this  is 
the  High  Street  referred  to  in  the  division  of  Sel- 
kirk Common  in  1681,  while  fixing  the  marches 
between  Biddell  and  the  burgh  of  Selkirk. 

FAUDON.f — At  this  grange,  the  monks  had 
twenty-one  cottages,  which  rented  at  £10 per  annum. 
The  old  marches  between  the  lands  of  Bolden  and 
this  grange  were  as  follows,  viz.,  "  Beginning  near 
the  Blakelouch,  and  following  as  formerly  the  same 
wall  to  the  west  part  of  Mergrew,  and  so  proceed- 
ing by  that  wall  ascending  northwards  as  far  up  as 
to  Qwytfield,  and  so  eastward  between  the  moor 
and  the  Qwytfield  as  far  as  the  syke  which 
ascended  to  the  east  part  of  Qwytfield.  The 
new  march,  by  the  grace  of  Lord  Andrew  Fraser, 
began  at   said  syke,  and  proceeded  towards  the 

*  Old  and  New  Statistical  Accounts  of  the  parish, 
f  This  place  seems  to  have  been  the  Falden  of  the  early- 
charters. 


156  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

burn  as  far  as  the  Crokedsaulch,  and  so  directly 
descending  as  far  as  the  wall  which  is  called 
Swtercroft  dyks."  In  the  beginning'bf  the  fifteenth 
century,  the  lands  were  in  the  hands  of  Andrew 
Ker.  He  was  a  party  to  the  contract  entered  into 
in  1616  for  staunching  the  feud  between  the  Scotts 
and  Kerrs.  In  1632,  Kobert  Ker  was  served  heir 
to  his  father,  Andrew  Ker  of  Faudonside,  inter  alia 
of  the  lands  of  Faudonside  and  Nether  Whitlaw 
House,  the  lands  of  Newhall,  with  the  mill  of 
Newhall  in  the  barony  of  Bowden.  In  1634,  the 
lands  were  possessed  by  the  three  sisters  of  Wil- 
liam, Master  of  Roxburgh,  as  heirs-portioners.  In 
1669,  Sir  John  Riddell  of  that  Ilk,  was  possessed 
of  a  third  part  of  the  lands  of  Fauldonside  and 
Nether  Whitelaw  House,  with  outfield  and  infield 
land,  and  fishings  in  the  river  Tweed.  In  1697, 
the  lands  were  possessed  by  James  Scott,  as  heir  of 
Hugh  Scott  of  Gala,  his  father,  with  the  manor- 
place  thereof,  near  the  water  of  Tweed,  and  the 
fishings  in  the  rivers  Tweed  and  Ettrick,  and  in 
the  lakes  of  Faudonside,  and  the  lake  com- 
monly called  Caldshiels  Loch,  in  the  barony  of 
Bowden.  The  lands  of  Caldshiels,  now  incorpo- 
rated with  the  estate  of  Faudon,  were  in  1634,  also 
possessed  by  Lady  Mary  Ker  and  her  sisters,  as 
heirs-portioners  of  their  brother.  In  1643,  they 
were  the  property  of  a  family  of  the  name  of 
Lawrie,  who  appear  to  have  been  kindly  tenants  of 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  157 

the  monks.  By  the  charter  of  Earl  Bobert,  the 
lands  and  loch  are  granted  to  James  Lawrie  and 
George  Lawrie  pro  mdiviso,  at  a  feu- duty  of  £3 
in  money,  and  giving  three  suits  at  the  head  courts 
to  be  held  yearly  in  the  burgh  of  Kelso  ;  but  on 
the  condition  that  they  built  and  sustained  upon 
the  foresaid  lands  a  sufficient  mansion,  with  hall, 
chamber,  kitchen,  barn,  byre,  stable,  and  other 
policies,  necessary  and  "  correspondent." 

The  loch  here  referred  to,  forms  the  southern 
boundary  to  the  property  of  Abbotsford.  It  was 
while  lying  on  the  northern  bank  of  this  beautiful 
sheet  of  water  that  Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  1817, 
wrote  the  following  lines : — 

"  The  sun  upon  the  Weirdlaw  hill, 

In  Ettrick's  vale  is  sinking  sweet ; 
The  westland  wind  is  hush  and  still, 

The  lake  lies  sleeping  at  my  feet. 
Yet  not  the  landscape  to  mine  eye 

Bears  those  bright  hues  that  once  it  bore, 
Though  evening  with  her  richest  dye, 

Flames  o'er  the  hills  of  Ettrick's  shore. 

"  With  listless  look  along  the  plain, 

I  see  Tweed's  silver  current  glide, 
And  coldly  mark  the  holy  fane 

Of  Melrose  rise  in  ruined  pride. 
The  quiet  lake,  the  balmy  air, 

The  hill,  the  stream,  the  tower,  the  tree, 
Are  they  still  such  as  once  they  were, 

Or  is  the  dreary  change  in  me  ?" 

The  lands  are  now  owned  by  Nicol  Milne. 


1 58  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Whitlaw. — This  grange  consisted  of  three 
ploughgates,  with  pasture  for  two  flocks  of  wed- 
ders  and  four  score  of  young  beasts.  A  carrucate 
of  land  in  this  grange  was  held  by  William  Gud- 
deal,  which  paid  40s.  per  annum.  There  was  one 
brew-house  which  produced  a  return  of  5s.  in  the 
year.  They  had  here  eighteen  cottages,  four  of  which 
brought  2s.  and  the  others  Is.  6d.  each,  and  six 
days' bond  services.  At  the  Keformation,this  grange 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  Kers.  It  appears  then  as 
divided  into  Over  and  Nether  Whitlaw.  Whitlaw 
House  seems  to  have  been  the  manor-place.  Both 
Whitlaws  are  now  the  property  of  Curie  and 
Erskine,  bankers,  Melrose. 

Whitemere.  —  This  grange  contained  two 
ploughgates  (208  Scotch  acres),  valued  at  ten 
marks.  In  the  town  they  had  ten  husbandlands, 
which  rented  at  6s.  each,  and  the  same  services 
as  the  husbandmen  of  Bowden.  They  had  seven 
cottages,  with  an  acre  of  land  to  each,  three  of 
which  returned  6s.,  and  the  other  three  let  at  4s.  6d. 
The  seventh  returned  Is.  4d.,  and  services  as  per- 
formed by  the  cottagers  of  Bowden. 

In  1567  the  revenue  derived  from  the  town  of 
Whitmere  was  £10 ;  from  Whitmere  Hall,  £5, 6s.  8d. 

Middleham.* — This  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns 
appearing  in  record,  and  was  granted  by  David 
the  Earl  to  the  monks  whom  he  planted  at  Sel- 


*  Charter  of  Prince  David  to  the  monks  of  Selkirk. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  159 

kirk  in  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century. 
The  lands  of  Middleham  consisted  of  twenty- 
nine  husbandlands,*  twenty-seven  of  which  let 
for  half-a-mark,  with  the  like  services  and 
similar  privileges  as  the  husbandmen  of  Bow- 
den.  The  other  two  husbandlands  paid  12s.  of 
rent  yearly,  and  thirteen  days'  work.  These  ser- 
vices were  converted  by  Abbot  Kichard  into  a 
money  payment  of  lis.  each  husbandland.  The 
assessment  was  made  by  brother  William  of  Aln- 
crum,  who  was  the  abbot's  chamberlain  at  the  time. 
There  were  eleven  cottages  with  nine  acres  of  land 
amongst  them,  each  of  which  paid  Is.  6d.  yearly. 
The  cottars  had  the  same  rights  as  those  of  Bow- 
den,  f  There  was  only  one  brew-house  in  the  town, 
which  rented  at  half  a  mark,  with  bond  services. 
The  mill  of  the  town,  with  the  mill  of  Bowden,  paid 
together  twenty-one  marks.  There  is  a  place  in  the 
territory  through  which  Middleham  burn  flows 
called  Millrig.  Several  persons  seem  to  have  en- 
joyed property  in  the  territory.  In  1160,  John,  the 
Abbot  of  Kelso,  granted  to  his  man  Osborn  half  a 
carrucate  of  land  J  in  Middleham,  for  which  he 
was  to  pay  a  rent  of  8s.,  with  bond  services.  He 
was  made  a  freeman  at  the  same  time.  In 
1260,  Alan  de  Sarcines,  and  Christina  his  wife, 
possessed  in  heritage  two  oxgangs  §  of  land  in  the 

*  About  75i  acres.         f  Rent  roll  of  the  Abbey,  1316. 

X  Fifty-two  Scots  acres. 

§  Twenty -six  acres  Scots,  equal  to  a  husbandland. 


160  THE   HISTOKY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

town,  and  which  they  resigned  to  the  convent.  In 
1271,  William  of  the  Hylle  resigned  his  lands  in 
the  town  to  the  monks.  In  1398,  Patrick  the 
Abbot  granted  an  annual  pension  of  two  marks 
out  of  the  lands  of  Middleham  to  Richard  of  Hang- 
inside,  "  for  his  faithful  counsel  and  aid  given,  and 
in  future  to  be  given."*  In  the  rent-roll  of  the 
abbey  of  1567,  the  value  of  the  lands  of  Middleham 
is  stated  at  £32,  being  the  same  value  as  the  lands 
of  Bowden.  The  husbandmen  of  Middleham  seem 
to  have  had  right  of  common  pasture  over  Selkirk 
common,  in  so  far  as  it  lay  adjacent  to  the  territory. 
The  common  of  Selkirk  was  divided  in  1681,  under 
a  submission  between  the  burgh  of  Selkirk  and  the 
neighbouring  proprietors,  and  the  decreet-arbitral 
was  ratified  by  Parliament.  The  arbiters  were 
Sir  Alexander  Don  of  Newton,  and  Kobert  Pringle 
of  Clifton,  nominated  by  the  Earl  of  Roxburgh  and 
other  heritors,  and  Sir  Patrick  Murray  of  Dredden, 
and  John  Scott  of  Wall,  elected  for  the  burgh  of 
Selkirk. f  After  that  period,  the  right  of  the  husband- 
men for  common  pasture  was  confined  within  the 
marches  fixed  in  the  decreet.  This  smaller  common 
was  again  divided  by  the  Sheriff  among  the  feuars, 
about  the  middle  of  last  century. 

The  feuars  and  kindly  tenants  of  the  convent  in 
Middleham  are  included  in  the  charter  of  Earl 
Kobert  in  1643.     At  that  time  the  husbandmen 

*  Lib.  de  Caichow.  t  Acta  Pari.  vol.  viii.  p.  423. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  161 

were  John  Leithan,  Eobert  Hislop,  John  Grier- 
son,  George  Davidson,  John  Helm,  Eobert  Bobert- 
son,  William  Aitken,  William  Garner,  William 
Bichet,  Eobert  Curie,  James  Valleing,  Andrew 
Ker,  Andrew  Grierson,  Andrew  Turnbull,  Alex- 
ander Wight,  George  Mathewson,  elder,  and  George 
Mathewson,  younger,  Thomas  Hislop,  Andrew 
Mathison,  George  Wight,  Andrew  Haddon,  George 
Hogg,  Patrick  Bruce,  John  Paterson,  William 
Mark,  James  Eobertson,  John  Helm,  James  Bald, 
Margaret  Hogg,  George  Thorbrand,  James  Wight, 
George  Colthard,  Andrew  Douglas  of  Friershaw,- 
David  Leithead,  Middleham,  and  Janet  Eobertson 
his  spouse,  John  Hislop,  and  Margaret  Tait,  his 
spouse.  The  husbandlands  of  Middleham  paid 
the  same  feu-duty  as  those  of  Bowden,  the  same  ser- 
vices, and  were  bound  in  the  same  manner  in  every 
respect.  The  lands  were  also  astricted  to  the  mill 
of  Middleham.  The  boundaries  of  the  land  are 
not  described  in  the  charter.  A  husbandland  and 
a-half  is  called  the  Burlands,  probably  belonging 
to  the  Burlawmen  of  the  territory  by  virtue  of  the 
office.  Every  territory  had  its  Burlaws,  made  by 
consent  of  neighbours  who  were  elected  in  the  Byr- 
law  courts,  and  the  Burlawmen  were  two  men 
chosen  to  administer  these  rustic  laws.  The  Bur- 
laws  seem  to  have  been  police  regulations  for  the 
government  of  the  town,  and  no  doubt  much  needed 
at  a  time  when  lands  were  unfenced,  and  cattle 

L 


162  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

continually  trespassing.  The  meaning  of  the  word 
is  "  speedy  justice."  The  piper  of  the  town  appears 
to  have  possessed  lands  in  virtue  of  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  office  of  town-piper.  The  piper's  lands 
are  now  enjoyed  by  the  heirs  of  Andrew  Arnot. 
The  town  occupies  a  high  situation,  yet  well 
sheltered  from  the  west  and  north.  It  commands 
an  extensive  view  to  the  east  and  south  of  all  the 
district  lying  between  it  and  the  distant  Cheviot 
mountains.  There  were  a  number  of  strong  houses 
of  defence  in  the  town,  but  the  last  of  them  was 
taken  down  in  December  1861  by  the  proprietor, 
Lord  Henry  Ker.  Mr  James  Sword  tells  me  that 
he  has  seen,  in  his  day,  five  of  these  bastille  houses, 
and  heard  from  old  people  of  others  having  existed 
to  the  number  of  twenty-nine.  At  the  town  foot, 
a  strong  tower  stood  a  little  north  of  the  well,  but 
was  removed  a  good  many  years  ago,  and  a  cottage 
erected  on  its  site.  The  walls  of  these  houses  were 
fully  four  feet  thick,  and  cemented  with  pounded 
dent. 

There  is  a  meeting-house  in' the  town,  belonging 
to  the  Associate  Synod  of  Original  Seceders.  There 
is  a  school  in  the  village,  the  schoolmaster  receiv- 
ing a  salary  of  £21  sterling,  with  fees  and  a  house. 
The  average  attendance  is  said  to  be  about  45. 

Cavers. — This  estate  formed  a  part  of  the  barony 
of  Bowden,  and  continued  in  the  hands  of  the 
monks  till  the  sixteenth  century,  when  it  came  to  be 
possessed  by  a  family  of  Carres.    In  the  beginning 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  163 

of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  barony  of  Cavers 
comprehended  the  lands  of  Cavers,  with  common 
pasture  in  the  moor  of  Selkirk,  a  quarter  of  a  hus- 
bandland  in  the  town  of  Middleham,  with  a  gar- 
den, and  the  butt  of  land  called  the  Blackbutt  in 
the  same  territory,  with  common  pasture  in  the 
moor,  also  the  lands  of  Newhall  in  the  barony  of 
Bowden.  At  the  same  time  the  family  seems  to 
have  possessed  the  barony  of  Bedrule,  the  lands  of 
Wester  Softlaw,  the  lands  of  Park-quarter  in  the 
barony  of  Belses,  the  mill  thereof,  with  three  acres  of 
land  called  Milnacre,  and  the  astricted  multures  of 
Belses,  Raperlaw,  Rauflat,  Pinnacle,  and  Firth, 
3  husbandlands  in  the  same  territory  called  Miln- 
rig,  a  rig  called  the  loaning,  the  Peel-quarter,  and 
half  of  the  meadow  of  Belses,  seven  husbandlands, 
with  pendicles  called  the  Milnrig-quarter,  with 
teinds,  the  lands  of  Wooden  and  Pinnaclehill  in 
Maxwellheugh,  the  lands  of  Vigourshaugh  and 
Braidyards,  the  lands  of  Horsemarket  between  the 
waters  of  Tweed  and  Teviot,  with  the  salmon  fish- 
ings in  said  waters,  and  other  lands. 

It  is  supposed  Ralph,  the  second  son  of  Sir 
Thomas  Ker  of  Fernihirst,  and  his  wife  Catherine, 
a  daughter  of  Lord  Ochiltree,  obtained  a  charter  of 
the  barony  of  Cavers  in  1524.  He  is  said  to  have 
married  Marion  Halyburton.  A  stone  in  the  house 
bears  the  inscription  of  their  names,  with  their 
armorial  bearings  quartered  upon  it,  and  the  date 
of  1532.     But  there  is  difficulty  in  agreeing  to  this 


164  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

view,  as  I  find  in  1594  Thomas  Ker  of  Cavers, 
along  with  his  brother  Andrew  Ker  of  Ferniehirst, 
and  Kobert  Ker  of  Newtown,  denounced  rebels  for 
subscribing  an  assurance  to  Sir  Kobert  Ker  of 
Cessford,  and  charged  to  pass  and  enter  their 
persons  in  ward  within  the  Castle  of  Dumbarton, 
until  they  obtain  themselves  relaxed  from  the  pro- 
cess of  horn.  This  Thomas  Ker  was  killed  in 
Jedburgh  on  the  14th  September  1601,  on  the 
Eude  Fair  day,  by  the  clan  Turnbull,  while  lodging 
with  his  wife  and  family  in  a  house  in  the  market- 
place. In  the  indictment  he  is  said  to  be  the 
brother  of  Sir  Andrew  Ker  of  Ferniehirst,  who  was 
at  the  time  Provost  of  the  burgh  of  Jedburgh,  and 
in  the  special  verdict  of  the  assize  the  deceased 
Thomas  Ker  of  Cavers  is  stated  to  be  the  brother 
of  Sir  Andrew.  In  these  circumstances  I  can- 
not see  how  Ealph  could  have  been  the  first  of 
Cavers.  In  1604  Thomas  Ker  of  Cavers  was  one 
of  the  assize  on  the  trial  of  George  Meldrum  of 
Dumbrek  for  treason  and  other  crimes.  In  1629 
Thomas  Ker  of  Cavers  was  served  heir  to  Thomas 
Ker  of  Cavers,  his  grandfather,  in  the  tenement  of 
Cavers  and  other  lands  in  the  barony  of  Bowden.* 
In  1678  Thomas  Ker  of  Cavers,  knight,  was  served 
heir  to  Andrew  Ker,  his  son.j  In  1684  John, Ker 
was  served  heir  of  entail  and  of  provision  to 
Thomas  Ker,  his  uncle,  in  the  barony  of  Cavers  and 

*  Retours,  No.  137.  t  Retours,  No.  272. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  165 

others.*  On  the  same  day  he  was  served  heir  to 
John  Ker  of  West  Nisbet,  his  father,  in  the  lands 
of  West  Nisbet  in  Berwickshire.  This  John  Ker 
of  West  Nisbet  married  Joan,  the  daughter  of  Sir 
James  Ker  of  Crailinghall,  second  Lord  Jedburgh, 
by  Mary  the  heiress  of  Hundalee.  In  1693  John 
Ker  of  Cavers  was  served  heir  to  his  uncle,  Eobert 
Lord  Jedburgh,  of  the  lands  of  Hundalee  and  others. 
He  is  designed  as  "  the  lawful  son  of  the  deceased 
John  Ker  of  West  Nisbet,  procreated  between  him 
and  the  deceased  Lady  Jean  Ker,  his  spouse,  sister 
of  the  deceased  Lord  Jedburgh/'f  He  seems  to 
have  married  his  cousin  Agnes,  daughter  of  Sir 
Andrew  Ker,  who  died  before  his  father  the  said 
Sir  Thomas  Ker.  One  of  the  family,  John  Ker, 
captain  in  the  25th  Kegiment,  was  for  many  years 
Provost  of  Jedburgh.  One  of  the  descendants, 
William  Kiddell  Carre,  still  owns  the  lands.  The 
family  name  was  originally  "  Ker"  but  changed  to 
"  Carre "  in  the  seventeenth  century,  from,  it  is 
supposed,  the  family  connection  with  Lord  Jed- 
burgh, who  adopted  the  latter  form.  The  notorious 
Earl  of  Somerset  wrote  his  name  Carre,  and  it  is 
believed  that  most  of  the  English  families  of  the 
name  wrote  their  name  in  the  same  way.  The  view 
from  the  mansion  is  fine,  extending  as  far  as  Ku- 
berslaw  and  the  border  mountains.  There  are  a 
number  of  fine  trees  in  the  park,  and  several  oaks  of 

*Retours,  No.  281.  f  Retours,  No.  306. 


166  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

considerable  size.  A  yew  at  the  west  end  of  the 
house  measures  nearly  9  feet  in  circumference,  and 
its  branches  cover  an  area  of  45  feet  in  diameter. 
Another  yew  tree  in  the  park  is  8  feet  6  inches 
round  the  trunk,  and  its  branches  spread  over  an 
area  of  46  feet  diameter.  There  are  very  large 
holly  trees.  In  the  garden  stand  four  remarkable 
silver  firs;  one  of  these  measures  at  the  root  17 
feet  8  inches  in  circumference,  at  the  middle  of  the 
trunk  13  feet  4  inches  ;  the  trunk  is  1 3  feet  high,  at 
which  height  it  sends  out  a  limb  which  goes  straight 
out  from  the  trunk  a  considerable  distance,  and 
then  rises  straight  up  to  the  height  of  80  feet.  The 
second  tree  measures  16  feet  round  the  trunk,  which 
is  17  feet  high.  The  other  two  trees  are  nearly  the 
same  size. 

There  is  here  a  very  large  old  dovecot,  strongly 
built. 

Cavers,  for  mail  and  teind,  is  valued  in  the  rent- 
roll  of  the  Abbey  at  £6,  13s.  4d. 

Kyppilaw. — This  estate  was  also  the  property 
of  the  monks,  and  remained  with  them  till  the 
sixteenth  century,  when  it  came  to  be  possessed  by 
another  family  of  Kers.  The  lands  were  a  part 
of  the  monks'  grange  of  Clarilaw.  In  1621  Mark 
Ker  of  Kippielaw  was  served  heir  to  his  father, 
Kobert  Ker,  in  the  mill  of  Bowden,  with  the  mill 
lands  in  that  barony;  and  on  the  same  day  he 
was  served  heir  to  his  grandfather,  Thomas  Ker  of 
Kippielaw,  in  five  libratis  100  mercatarum  lands  of 


167 

Clarilaw  called  Kippielaw  and  Bochester,  with  the 
marsh  called  Kirkmeadowmoss,  in  the  barony  of 
Bowden,  and  one  and  a  half  husbandlands  in  the 
territory  of  Bowden.*  When  Earl  Robert  granted 
a  charter  to  the  feuars  of  Bowden  in  1G43,  Mark 
Ker,  called  Kippielaw,  was  confirmed  in  posses- 
sion of  the  lands.  They  still  remain  in  the  same 
family. 

Clartlaw. — Here  the  monks  had  twenty-one 
cottages,  each  of  which  had  three  acres  of  land, 
and  rented  at  two  bolls  of  meal  each,  with  services 
in  weeding  the  corn  of  the  grange  of  Newton. 
Every  cottager  had  in  the  pasturage  belonging  to 
the  grange  two  cows,  and  liberty  at  the  years  end 
to  remove  the  produce  of  this  stock.  Like  the 
other  cottagers  they  had  right  to  keep  a  sow,  pigs, 
and  poultry.  At  the  Reformation  the  lands  passed 
into  the  family  of  Oessford.  The  Duke  of  Rox- 
burghe  is  now  proprietor. 

Middleham  Mill. — This  mill  was  of  old  situated 
on  the  Ale,  at  a  place  where  the  highway  from 
Middleham  by  Milnrig,  Chapel,  Hillhead,  Green- 
house, and  southwards  to  the  Teviot,  crossed  the 
stream.  A  little  west  of  the  mill,  the  united  burns 
of  Middleham-burn  and  the  Toftburn  enters  the 
Alne.t     Toftburn  rises  in  Greenside  moss  and 

*  Betours,  No.  106,  107. 

f  This  is  the  Curlewude  burn  of  the  early  charters. 


168  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

flows  past  Chesterknolls  and  Shawburn.  This 
property  belonged  to  Gavin  Elliott,  a  son  of  Gilbert 
Elliott  ot  Stobs,  commonly  called  "  Gibby  wi'  the 
gowden  garters/'  and  "  Maggy  Fendy,"  daughter 
of  Walter  Scott  of  Harden.  He  was  the  ancestor 
of  Lord  Minto. 

The  convent  had  a  ploughgate  of  land  called 
Priestfield,  which  was  held  by  four  husbandmen, 
who  were  bound  to  provide  one  armed  man,  who 
should  be  the  leader  of  thirty  bowmen  furnished  by 
the  barony,  to  serve  in  the  army  of  the  king.  In 
the  Book  of  Kelso,  the  marches  of  this  ploughgate 
are  described  as  "  beginning  at  the  old  cross  long 
ago  placed  before  the  entrance  to  the  foresaid 
tenement  of  land,  and  from  that  cross  following 
the  road  leading  near  to  Denrigpottes,  proceeding 
westward  beyond  the  ploughed  land  as  far  as  the 
road  which  leads  to  Middleham,  as  far  as  the  wall 
of  Qwitlaw,  and  by  that  wall  running  northward  as 
far  as  the  rivulet  which  flows  to  Priestdenheued, 
from  thence  descending  by  the  rivulet  as  far  as 
Holdenheued,  thence  ascending  westward  as  far  as 
Harilauden,  thence  returning  to  the  foresaid 
cross."  *  In  1327  an  inquest  was  held  at  Bowden 
as  to  this  ploughgate,  when  it  was  found  that  it 
was  part  of  the  territory  of  Bolden,  held  of  the 
barony  by  four  husbandmen,  who  were  bound  to 

*  Lib.  de  Calchow,  p.  361. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  169 

find  one  armed  man  to  be  the  leader  of  thirty  of 
the  principal  tenants  of  the  barony  of  the  king's 
host,  as  before  mentioned. 

In  Lilliesleaf  territory  the  monks  possessed 
thirty  acres,  which  lay  between  the  Alne  and  the 
burn,  which  was  the  boundary  between  Lilliesleaf 
and  Middleham. 

North  and  South  Prestons  were,  in  1630, 
entered  in  the  taxt-roll  of  the  abbey  of  Kelso  in 
the  name  of  Ker,  and  valued,  the  former  at  £5, 
and  the  latter  at  40s. 

Selkirk. — The  convent  had  considerable  pos- 
sessions in  Selkirk  as  early  as  1113.  The  abbey 
was  settled  near  the  castle  and  town  of  the  king. 
The  men  of  the  monks  soon  reared  a  hamlet,  which 
obtained  the  name  of  the  abbot's  Selkirk,  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  town  of  the  king.  At  the 
time  the  monks  were  settled  in  Selkirk,  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  town  consisted  of 
a  castle,  with  a  chapel,  and  a  few  houses  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  followers  of  the  king  and 
the  rangers  of  the  forest,  and  a  mill.  This  church 
was  conferred  by  David  I.  on  the  abbot,  on  con- 
dition of  his  acting  as  chaplain  to  the  royal  castle, 
which  was  confirmed  by  Bishop  Walter  of  Glas- 
gow, along  with  the  abbot's  own  church.  It  is 
probable  that  ere  long  the  two  towns  formed  only 
one  town,  and  the  two  churches  were  conjoined. 
The   half  ploughgate    of   land  which  had  been 


170  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

granted  by  David  I.  lying  scattered  through  the 
plain,  Malcolm  IV.  gave  them  in  exchange  lands 
lying  together,  so  as  to  enlarge  the  lands  they 
had  around  the  town.  The  lands  of  the  convent, 
consisting  of  fifteen  husbandlands,  each  containing 
a  bovate  or  oxgate,*  were  let  for  4s.  each  in  the 
year,  with  nine  days'  work  in  autumn.  Two  of 
the  husbandlands  furnished  a  wain  of  peats  to  the 
stable  yard  of  the  abbey,  and  two  others  were 
bound  to  go  to  Berwick  once  in  the  year  with  a 
cart  to  the  abbey,  in  the  same  way  as  the  men  of 
Bowden.  They  had  a  carrucatef  of  land  in  their 
own  town,  which  rented  at  ten  marks.  Thirty 
acres  of  land,  which  lay  out  of  their  town,  produced 
an  annual  return  of  5s.  They  had  sixteen  cottages, 
with  ten  acres  of  land,  fifteen  of  which  were  ren- 
ted at  Is.  each  per  annum,  and  the  other  at  2s., 
with  the  same  services  as  were  performed  by  the 
cottagers  of  Bowden.  They  had  three  brew-  houses, 
let  at  6s.  8d.  in  the  year.  Four  acres  of  land, 
which  were  called  the  lands  of  Kichard  Cute,  were 
let  for  6s.  per  annum.  Their  corn-mill  let  at  five 
marks. 

In  1234  Alexander  II.  granted  to  the  convent 
sixteen  acres  of  land,  which  had  formerly  belonged 
to  Richard,  the  son  of  Edwin,  which  lay  ori  both 


*  This  is  half  the  extent  of  the  husbandland  in  Teviotdale. 
f  A  ploughgate,  or  104  acres. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  171 

sides  of  the  Ettrick,  for  the  perpetual  sustentation 
of  the  Bridge  of  Ettrick,  which  David  I.  had  built 
over  that  noble  stream  at  the  town  of  Selkirk. 
At  this  bridge  the  courts  of  the  convent  were  held. 
The  lands  are  still  known  as  the  Bridge  lands. 
All  these  possessions  were  confirmed  to  the  monks 
by  a  bull  of  Pope  Innocent  IV. 


172  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OF   THE   TOWN   AND   LANDS   OF   LESSUDEN. 

The  earliest  form  in  which  the  name  of  this 
place  appears  is  Lessedewyne,  and  the  same  spell- 
ing is  continued  to  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  when  it  is  written  Lessuddene.  Mr  Chal- 
mers, in  noticing  the  parish  in  his  "  Caledonia," 
says,  "  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  name  was 
imposed  by  the  British  rather  than  the  Saxon 
settlers,  for  the  word  is  formed  in  the  British,  and 
not  in  the  Saxon  manner,  by  placing  the  adjunct 
to  the  person  he/ore,  not  after  his  name.  Leys  in 
the  British,  or  Lis  and  Lios,  in  the  Irish,  signify  a 
court,  a  hall,  a  manor-house,  or  fortified  place/' 
According  to  this  view,  the  name  signifies  the  manor- 
place  of  Edwin,  who  at  some  early  period  settled 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tweed,  built  a  fortlet,  and 
called  it  by  his  name.  With  the  exception  of 
the  name  all  trace  of  this  early  settler  is  lost.  The 
name  of  St  BoswelFs  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
applied  to  the  parish  till  the  seventeenth  century, 
although  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  village 


173 

bearing  that  name  existed  about  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  south-east  from  Lessudden,  with  a  chapel  or 
church  dedicated  to  St  Boisel.  Of  this  village  no 
trace  remains  excepting  the  hearth  and  foundation 
stones  of  the  hamlet,  turned  up  occasionally  by  the 
plough.  The  church  has  also  long  ago  disappeared. 
Chalmers  thinks  that  St  Boswell  is  the  proper 
appellation  of  the  church,  and  Lessudden  the  name 
of  the  principal  hamlet.  But  there  is  considerable 
difficulty  in  adopting  this  view  without  holding 
that  two  churches  existed  coeval  with  each  other, 
St  Boswell's  and  Lessudden.  In  the  days  of  David 
I.,  the  church  of  Lessudden  was  in  existence. 
About  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century  it  appears 
as  the  church  of  "  St  Mary  of  Lessedewyn,"  in  the 
grant  of  Thomas  de  Londonia  of  the  tofts  which  he 
had  on  the  south  side  of  the  church,  his  half  of  the 
orchard  beside  the  church,  the  land  and  meadow 
west  of  the  church,  as  far  as  the  great  road*  which 
led  towards  Eldon,  and  on  the  north  of  the  church 
the  land  extending  from  the  burying  ground 
beyond  a  certain  ancient  ditch,  as  he  had  first 
given  and  assigned  it,  as  far  as  the  Tweed,  f  In 
1170  the  church  of  Lassedwyn  was  granted  to  the 
monks  of  Dryburgh  by  Kobert  de  Londonia,  and 
confirmed  in  the  same  year  by  William  the  Lion, 
and  by  Bishop  Josceline  five  years  afterwards. 
These  notices  place  the  existence  of  the  church  of 

*  Watling  Street.        f  Lib.  de  Dryburgh,  p.  44. 


174          THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Lessudden  beyond  doubt  during  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, and  dedicated  to  St  Mary.  This  fact  does 
not  however  exclude  the  belief  that  a  chapel  or 
church  dedicated  to  Boisil  also  existed  in  the 
locality.  Boisil  was  Prior  of  Mailros,  of  great 
sanctity  and  prophetic  spirit,  who  went  into  the 
neighbouring  towns  preaching  to  the  people, 
by  whom  he  was  held  in  great  veneration.  He 
died  at  Mailros  in  1614.  The  names  of  places 
here  besides  the  name  of  the  village  show  the 
influence  of  this  godly  man :  St  BoswelTs  well,  St 
BoswelTs  burn,  St  BoswelTs  green,  etc.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  a  church  existed  here  dedicated  to 
St  Boisil,  previous  to  the  church  of  St  Mary  of 
Lessuden,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  church  of 
Lessuden  was  dedicated  to  St  Mary  about  the  time 
of  its  connexion  with  the  monks  of  Dryburgh. 

As  I  have  already  stated,  while  treating  of  the 
regality  of  Melrose,  the  lands  and  barony  of  Les- 
sudden were  co-extensive  with  the  parish,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Ylifstoun  (Elliston),  the 
property  of  the  monks  of  Melrose.  The  barony 
consisted  of  the  lands  of  Lessudden,  Ylifstoun, 
Maxpoffle,  Wodfordehuse,  Heuiside,  Cambestoun, 
JSTewton,  and  the  Templelands.  The  monks  of 
Dryburgh  got  from  the  family  of  Londonia,  the 
church  and  the  lands  belonging  to  it  about  1170, 
and  in  1220  they  got  a  grant  from  John,  the  son 
of  Yliff  of  Yliston,  of  "  ten  acres  of  land  of  his 
demesne  in  the  town  of  Yliston,  viz.,  two  acres  in 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  175 

toft  and  croft  nearest  to  and  east  of  the  rivulet 
which  ran  below  his  garden,  four  acres  in  Rok- 
flat,  next  to  and  west  of  the  road  leading  to  Boul- 
den,  and  three  acres  in  Greenrig."  From  the 
same  person  they  got,  about  the  same  time,  a  toft 
and  two  acres  in  Ylistoun,  formerly  belonging  to 
Alan  Dammesone,  and  one  acre  in  Greensyde 
next  to  Hairstan.*  From  Kobert  de  Londonia 
they  obtained  a  house  and  toft  in  Lessudden, 
which  produced  3s.  of  silver  and  a  pound  of  pep- 
per. Lessedwyn  and  its  pertinents  was  settled  by 
Alexander  II.  on  Johanna,  his  queen,  the  sister  of 
Henry  III.,  as  part  of  her  jointure.f  In  1316 
Kobert  I.  gave  to  the  house  of  Melrose  the  whole 
of  his  land  and  tenement  of  Lessedwyn,  with  per- 
tinents and  with  tenandries,  services,  suits,  hom- 
ages, wards,  reliefs,  and  marriages  of  the  freehol- 
ders of  Maxpoffle,  Heuisyd,  Wodefordehuse,  and 
Ylisston,  and  all  other  freeholders  belonging  to 
the  said  tenement  of  land.  The  lands  were  for  a 
while  in  the  hands  of  Ralph  Neville,  Lord  of  Raby, 
who  got  a  grant  of  them  from  Edward  Baliol,  but 
who,  about  1357,  returned  them  to  the  monks  of 
Melrose.  All  the  lands  were  held  by  the  monks 
as  temporal  lords,  and  had  under  them  kindly  ten- 
ants, who,  in  the  course  of  time,  obtained  the  lands 
in  feu.     There  were  thirty-one  husbandlands*  in 

*  Lib.  de  Dryburgh,  p.  148. 

f  Rymer's  Foedera,  vol.  i.  p.  252. 


176  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Lessudden,  entered  in  the  taxt-roll  of  the  abbey  at 
£2056,  and  as  paying  a  duty  of  £56.  The  village 
of  Lessudden  stands  on  the  east  side  of  the  parish, 
nearly  opposite  to  Dryburgh,  and  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  finest  scenery  on  the  Tweed.  It 
consists  of  a  single  street,  with  a  few  good  houses, 
chiefly  of  modern  construction.  It  appears  to  have 
been  of  importance  during  the  middle  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  having  within  it  sixteen  strong 
bastille  houses,  which  were  destroyed  by  Sir  George 
Bowes  and  Sir  Brian  Laiton,  when  they  paid  their 
destructive  visit.  In  the  "  Origines  Parochiales " 
it  is  said,  that  "  there  was  no  mill  at  Lessudden, 
the  tenants  being  apparently  bound  to  grind  their 
corn  at  Dryburgh ; "  but  this  statement  does  not 
seem  probable,  as  the  barony  belonged  to  the 
monks  of  Melrose,  who  had  a  mill  at  Newtown. 
St  Boswell's  mill  was  driven  by  the  burn  which 
runs  through  the  lands  of  Elliston,  eastward,  and 
flows  into  the  Tweed  below  the  church  at  Max- 
ton.  It  stood  a  little  above  the  Maxton  road, 
and  near  to  the  church  of  St  Boswell's.  This  mill 
was  within  the  lordship  of  Dryburgh,  and  seems 
to  have  belonged  to  the  monks  of  that  house. 

In  the  tax-roll  of  the  abbey,  these  lands  are  en- 
tered as  belonging  to  Bothwell  and  Kiddel,  the 
former  paying  a  duty  of  £200,  and  the  latter 
£100.     In  1675,  the  five  grand-daughters  of  Pat- 

*  About  806  Scots  acres. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  177 

rick  Kiddell,  St  Boswells,  were  served  heirs-por- 
tioners  to  him  in  the  mill  of  St  Boswell's,  with 
multure,  aqueduct,  and  privileges  thereof,  house  and 
garden  at  the  mill,  with  the  mill  land  lying  in  the 
town  and  territory  of  St  Boswell's  and  lordship  of 
Dryburgh ;  also  part  of  the  kirk-lands  of  the 
parish  of  Lessudden,  called  St  Boswell's  kirk,  viz.,  a 
piece  of  land  called  the  Coatstruther,  extending  to 
2  acres ;  a  piece  of  land  called  the  Barnhill ;  a 
piece  of  land  called  the  piece  meadow-land  lying 
below  the  said  mills,  and  Parkfurd  to  the  torrent ; 
an  acre  called  the  Kirklanglaids  ;  a  piece  of  land 
called  the  Kirk-meadow,  and  the  butts  near  the 
same  ;  crofts,  houses,  and  garden  lying  in  the  town 
of  St  Boswell's,  and  the  lands  of  Stelflat  and  Kella- 
flat,  with  teinds.  In  1697  these  lands  were  in  the 
hands  of  Andrew  Kiddell,  in  Selkirk.  They  were 
afterwards  possessed  by  Walter  Ker  of  Littledean. 
In  the  taxt-roll  of  the  abbey  these  lands  are  valued 
at  £40. 

At  the  east  end  of  the  town  is  Lessuden  Place, 
an  old  mansion  belonging  to  the  Scotts  of  Kaeburn. 
The  situation  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  scenery 
of  that  part  of  the  Tweed.  The  proprietor  of  this 
ancient  place  is  descended  from  Walter,  the  third 
son  of  Sir  William  Scott,  third  laird  of  Harden. 
They  were  called  of  Kaeburn,  from  lands  of  that 
name  held  by  them  in  Dumfriesshire.  Walter 
Scott  married  a  daughter  of  Macdougall  of  Maker- 
stoun,  and  both  became  Quakers.     In  1665,  his 

M 


178  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

three  children  were;  on  account  of  the  religion  of 
himself  and  wife,  removed  from  his  care  by  an 
order  of  the  Privy  Council,  directed  to  his  brother, 
Sir  William  Scott  of  Harden.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  ordered  by  the  same  authority  to  pay 
£2000  for  their  maintenance.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  were  imprisoned  in  the  prison  of  Jedburgh. 
In  this  persecution,  the  brother  of  his  wife  joined 
his  own  brother.  In  regard  to  this  persecution, 
Sir  Walter  Scott  says,  "  It  was  observed  by  the 
people  that  the  male  line  of  the  second  Sir 
William  of  Harden  became  extinct  in  1710,  and 
that  the  representation  of  Makerstoun  soon  passed 
into  the  female  line.  They  assigned  as  a  cause, 
that  when  the  wife  of  Kaeburn  found  herself  de- 
prived of  her  husband,  refused  permission  even  to 
see  her  children,  she  pronounced  a  malediction 
on  her  husband's  brother,  as  well  as  her  own,  and 
prayed  that  a  male  of  their  body  might  not  in- 
herit their  property."*  Walter,  the  youngest  son 
of  Kaeburn,  became  a  zealous  Jacobite,  and  was 
called  Beardie,  from  a  vow  which  he  had  made 
never  to  shave  his  beard  till  the  exiled  royal  family 
of  Stuart  was  restored.  He  took  up  arms  and  in- 
trigued io  their  cause  till  he  lost  all  he  had  in  the 
world,  and  would  have  been  hanged,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  influence  of  Ann,  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  and 
Monmouth.     He  was  the  grandfather  of  Sir  Walter 

*  Lockhart's  Life  of  Scott,  p.  20. 


179 

Scott.  Beardie's  elder  brother  married  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Sir  John  Scott  of  Ancrum.  In  1707 
Walter  Scott  of  Raeburn  was  killed  in  a  duel  by 
one  of  the  Pringles  of  Crichton,  in  a  field  near 
Selkirk,  still  called  Raeburn's  Meadow.  By  a 
daughter  of  Hugh  Scott  of  Gala  he  left  a  son 
William,  who  married,  and  had  a  son,  Walter  Scott 
of  Raeburn.  This  Walter  Scott  was  proprietor  of 
three  husbandlands  in  Lessudden,  and  William 
Scott,  his  son,  was  possessed  of  Maxpoffle.  He  was 
for  a  time  Sheriff- Substitute  for  Selkirkshire.  The 
original  of  the  bond  or  association  entered  into  in 
June  3,  1589,  between  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Branx- 
holm,  heir  of  Buccleuch,  and  about  fifty  of  the 
most  important  men  of  his  kin  and  clan,  is  in  the 
possession  of  this  family.  The  object  of  the  asso- 
ciation was  to  prevent  any  of  the  Clan  Scott  going 
to  law  with  each  other,  and  to  secure  justice  within 
the  clan.  Any  one  of  the  clan  accused  of  taking 
any  possession  over  the  head  of  another,  was  bound 
to  stand  by  the  award  of  five  men,  to  be  mutually 
chosen.  The  chief  himself  was  in  like  manner 
bound  to  submit  to  the  decision  of  any  four  men  of 
the  name  of  Scott.* 

The  parish  school  is  situated  at  the  west  end  of 
the  town,  where  English,  Latin,  Greek,  and  French 
are  taught.  Besides  the  salary,  the  fees  average 
about  £40  a  year. 

*  Pitcairn's  Criminal  Trials,  vol.  iii,  p.  381. 


180  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

A  subscription  library,  instituted  in  1799  by  the 
late  Sir  David  Erskine  of  Dryburgh  Abbey,  con- 
sists of  above  1000  volumes. 

On  the  Green  is  held  the  fair  of  St  Boswell's  on 
the  18th  of  July  yearly,  the  greatest  in  the  south  of 
Scotland  for  sheep  and  lambs.  The  show  of  horses 
is  always  very  fine,  and  buyers  attend  from  all  parts 
of  the  north  of  England  and  south  of  Scotland. 
The  money  turned  over  is  said  to  be  about  £10,000. 
The  customs  of  the  fair  are  drawn  by  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch  or  his  tacksman,  and  amount  to  about 
£40.  A  commodious  inn  was  erected  about  thirty 
years  ago  on  the  side  of  the  Green.  A  little  to  the 
west  of  the  inn  are  the  kennels  for  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch's  foxhounds,  which  regularly  hunt  the 
district. 

The  fishings  in  the  Tweed  belong  to  the  pro- 
prietor of  Dryburgh  Abbey,  the  Misses  Kamsay, 
Maxton,  and  Lord  Polwarth. 

The  writer  of  the  Old  Statistical  Account  of  the 
parish  says : — "  The  Tweed,  which  runs  close  by 
Lessudden,  in  addition  to  the  beauty  and  pleasant- 
ness which  it  gives  to  the  country,  is  likewise  pro- 
ductive of  many  advantages.  Between  this  and 
Berwick  is  a  distance  of  more  than  thirty  miles, 
and  yet  not  only  here,  but  higher  up  the  water,  fine 
and  large  salmon  are  caught  in  the  season,  and 
sold  in  the  country  at  the  moderate  price  of  from 
2d.  to  3d.  per  lb.  ;  but  the  greatest  part  is  bought 
up  by  people  who  find  it  their  interest  to  carry 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  IS  1 

them  elsewhere.  Salmon  of  28  lb.  have  been 
caught,  but  from  6  to  18  lb.  is  the  ordinary  weight 
of  those  taken  hereabouts ;  so  that  at  the  proper  time 
the  neighbourhood  is  seldom  at  a  loss  for  a  small 
salmon,  which  proves  a  great  convenience  to  fami- 
lies, and  contributes  to  the  bettering  of  the  circum- 
stances of  those  concerned  in  the  fishings." 

The  church  of  St  Boswell's  is  situated  near  the 
eastern  limits  of  the  parish.  A  stone  in  the  front 
of  the  church  bears  that  the  building  was  erected 
in  1652;  but  it  is  possible  that  the  stone  formed 
part  of  the  old  church,  which  stood  a  little  to  the 
east.  The  church  was  thoroughly  repaired  in  1 791 , 
and  enlarged  in  1824  to  accommodate  300  persons. 
Between  1177  and  1228  three  popes  and  a  pope's 
legate  confirmed  an  agreement  between  the  monks 
of  Dryburgh  and  Jedburgh,  whereby  the  former 
house  gave  up  to  the  latter  the  church  of  Long- 
newton,  and  agreed  to  pay  two  merks  yearly  for 
Lessedwyn.  Alexander  II.  confirmed  the  church 
to  Dryburgh.  In  1252  a  dispute  arose  between 
the  monks  of  Melrose  and  Dryburgh,  as  to  the  right 
to  draw  tithes,  which  was  settled  by  Dryburgh 
being  allowed  to  draw  the  tithes  of  corn  and  hay 
due  by  the  convent  of  Melrose  for  lands  held  by 
them  in  Elliston,  and  in  lieu  of  which  they  were 
to  pay  half  a  mark  yearly  at  Koxburgh  fair,  and 
the  tenants  or  paid  servants  of  the  Abbey  of  Mel- 
rose, if  they  resided  for  half  a  year  within  the 
parish,  should  pay  ecclesiastical  dues  to  the  mother 


182  THE  HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

church  of  Lessedwyn.  The  church  of  Lessedwyn 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  monks  at  the  Keformation. 

Elliston. — This  estate  was  of  old  named  Ylis- 
ston,  after  an  early  settler  of  the  name  of  Yliss, 
whose  ton  it  was.  John,  the  son  of  Yliss,  gave  part 
of  his  lands  to  the  monks  of  Dryburgh  in  1220, 
with  whom  it  continued  till  the  Keformation  ;  but 
the  remainder  of  the  barony  was  conferred  on  the 
monks  of  Melrose  by  Kobert  I.  in  1316,  and  who 
renewed  the  grant  in  1318.  In  the  taxt-roll  of  the 
abbey  made  up  in  1630,  Scott  of  Harden  is  entered 
as  possessing  the  lands.  In  the  end  of  last  century 
a  family  of  Tulloch  acquired  the  estate,  and  it  is 
now  in  the  hands  of  Captain  Tulloch  of  the  same 
family. 

The  mansion-house  is  pleasantly  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  well-wooded  demesne.  There  is  not 
much  old  wood.  The  greater  part  of  the  firs  have 
been  taken  out,  and  the  oaks  of  nearly  100  years' 
growth  afford  an  abundant  supply  of  excellent 
timber. 

Cambeston. — This  place  derives  its  name  from 
its  situation  on  the  dene  through  which  the  burn 
flows  ;  the  town  on  the  bend  of  the  stream.  Kob- 
ert I.  gave  to  the  monks  of  Melrose  all  the  lands 
which  he  had  in  the  tenements  of  Lessedwyn ;  and 
doubts  having  arisen  whether  Cambeston  lay  within 
Lessuden,  the  king  directed  James  of  Douglas,  his 
favourite  warrior,  to  make  an  enquiry  in  regard 
thereto,  which  he  did,  aided  by  the  bailies  of  the  con- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  183 

stabulary  of  Jedburgh,  and  on  his  report  renewed 
the  grant.  Part  of  the  lands  seem  to  have  been 
possessed  by  James  Fraser,  Lord  of  Frendracht, 
for  in  1402  he  conveyed  to  the  monks  all  his  lands  in 
this  place,  on  payment  of  £3  to  himself  and  heirs, 
and  the  usual  service  to  the  king,  but  while  the 
property  was  injured  by  war  the  payment  was  not 
to  be  made.  This  annual-rent  was  resigned  in 
1598  by  the  Countess  of  Morray,  and  her  grandson 
and  heir  Sir  James  Crichton.  By  the  confirmation 
and  resignation  of  this  annual-rent,  the  money  was 
to  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  abbot  till  Sir  James 
paid  to  the  said  abbot  "  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
raerks  good  and  usual  money  of  Scotland,  or  then 
five  sacks  of  wool,  clean,  without  cot  and  tar,  good 
merchant-ware."*  At  the  Reformation  the  lands 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  monks,  or  possessed  by 
their  kindly  tenants.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century  they  were  the  property  of  William 
Riddell,  afterwards  of  Admiral  Carre  of  Cavers, 
now  of  Major-General  Riddell-Carre. 

Maxpoffle  or  Mosspople. — This  estate  con- 
ferred a  surname  on  the  owner  of  it,  who  lived 
during  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
In  1296  Adam  of  Maxpoffle,  son  of  Adam  of  Max- 
poffle, swore  fealty  to  Edward  I.  He  afterwards 
resigned  the  lands  to  Robert  I.  About  1329  Law- 
rence de  Abernethy,  the  son  of  William  Abernethy, 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  p.  618. 


184  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

gifted  the  whole  lands  of  Maxpoffle  to  the  monks 
of  Melrose,  to  be  held  by  them  for  ever.*  The 
lands  were  included  in  the  inquest  above-mentioned, 
along  with  Cambeston  and  other  lands.  The  lands 
remained  with  the  monks  till  the  Reformation. 
About  that  time  Cairncross  of  Colmslie  seems  to 
have  occupied  them,  and  in  the  rent-roll  of  the 
abbey,  made  up  in  1636,  they  appear  as  being  held 
by  the  same  family.  Scott  of  Raeburn  possessed 
them  at  the  beginning  of  this  century.  John  Boyd 
now  owns  them. 

The  Knights-Templars  seem  to  have  had  some 
lands  in  this  territory,  lying  near  to  the  church  of 
St  Bosweli's.  On  Stobbie's  map  of  the  shire,  the 
"  Temple"  is  marked  as  opposite  to  the  mill  of  St 
Bosweirs.  These  lands  belonged  to  the  Duke  of 
Roxburgh,  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  to 
James  Cochrane  of  Lessudden.  They  now  belong 
to  James  Rae.  In  1849  a  Roman  bronze  patella 
was  found  here.  It  has  the  usual  projecting  cir- 
cular rings  on  its  bottom,  and  appears  to  have  been 
tinned  or  plated  inside.  It  was  presented  to  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  by  Dr  Alexan- 
der Smith,  one  of  the  secretaries.! 

Hilton  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  turn- 
pike road  to  Jedburgh.     In  1415  John  de  Hilton, 


*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  384-5. 

t  In  the  Transactions  of  the  Society,  the  Temple  lands 
are  mistakenly  said  to  be  near  Bongedworth. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  185 

with  the  consent  of  his  son  William,  sold  this  tene- 
ment to  the  monks  of  Melrose.  It  is  described  as 
lying  to  the  south-west  of  Lessedwyn.*  Walter, 
Archdeacon  of  Teviotdale,  is  one  of  the  witnesses. 
Thomas  de  Schatto,  his  cousin,  confirmed  the 
grant.  The  lands  are  now  possessed  by  James 
Brunton. 

The  names  of  Wodefurdhouse  and  Heuisyd  dis- 
appeared from  the  map  more  than  a  hundred  years 
ago. 

The  great  Roman  way  called  the  Watling  Street, 
runs  from  south  to  north  through  the  territory, 
nearly  in  the  course  of  the  turnpike  road,  which  it 
joins  between  Longnewton  plantation,  at  the  Fores- 
ter's house,  and  the  toll-bar  of  Hilton's  hill. 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  535-7. 


186  THE   HISTORY   AND    ANTIQUITIES   OF 


CHAPTER  V. 

OF   THE   TERRITORY   OF   MAXTON. 

The  name  of  this  territory  is  derived  from  an 
early  Saxon  settler  of  the  name  of  Ilaccus,  whose 
ton  or  manor  it  was  during  the  days  of  David  I. 
Maccus  is  a  witness  to  the  Inquisitio  Davidis  in 
1116,  and  is  in  that  document  styled  "Maccus 
filius  Undwyn."*  He  is  also  a  witness  to  the 
foundation  charter  of  Selkirk  by  Earl  David.  He 
witnesses  the  foundation  charter  of  David  I.  to 
Melrose.  He  is  a  witness  to  other  charters  of  that 
king  before  1147/f  His  sons  Edmund,  Liulphus, 
and  Robert,  are  witnesses  to  several  charters  of  the 
same  king.  His  grandson  Herbert  rose  to  be 
Sheriff  of  Roxburghshire  between  1150  and  1180, 
and  his  son  John  filled  the  same  office.  From 
Herbert  is  descended  the  families  of  Maxwell  in 
Scotland. 

About  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  Robert 
de  Berkeley,  descended  from  the  great  family  of 
that  name  in  Gloucestershire,  got  the  territory  by 

*  Reg.  of  Glasg.,  p.  5.         t  Vol.  iii.  p.  178. 


KOXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  187 

marrying  Cecilia  the  daughter  of  Liulphus,  one  of 
the  sons  of  Maccus.  In  the  reign  of  William  the 
Lion,  Kobert  de  Berkeley  and  Cecilia  his  spouse 
granted  to  the  monks  of  Melrose,  for  the  salvation 
of  the  souls  of  David  I.  and  Malcolm,  their  late 
lords,  and  of  their  late  lord  William,  and  David 
his  brother,  and  of  the  souls  of  their  father  and 
mother,  a  carrucate  of  land  in  the  territory  of 
Mackiston,  according  to  the  following  boundaries, 
viz.,  "on  the  east  side  of  Derestrete,*  from  the 
middle  of  the  ridge  of  Morrig  southward  on  the 
east  side  of  the  same  street  as  far  as  the  first  syke 
on  the  north  of  Lillisyhates,  and  so  eastward  by  the 
same  syke,  which  I,  Kobert  de  Berkeley,  assigned 
to  the  monks  in  presence  of  my  men,  and  in  testi- 
mony of  which  they  had  erected  a  great  stone  in 
Morric  ;  and  thence  westward  as  far  as  Derestrete," 
and  common  pasture  in  the  said  town  for  100 
sheep,  12  oxen,  6  cows,  3  horses,  and  1  sow,  with 
their  followers  of  two  years ;  the  common  fuel  of 
the  said  town,  both  turf  and  heath,  and  stone  from 
their  quarry  of  Alwerdene,  sufficient  to  erect  the 
buildings  of  their  house  of  Melrose.f  This  grant 
was  confirmed  by  William  the  Lion.J  This  grant 
instructs  that  although  the  church  of  Melrose  was 
dedicated  in  1138,  it  was  not  then  completed. 
Before  1200,  Hugh  de  Norman ville,  who  married 


Watlirtg  Street.  f  Lib.  de  Melros,  vol.  i.  pp.  77-8. 

t  lb.  78-9. 


188  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Alicia,  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Kobert  and 
Cecilia,  obtained  possession  of  the  territory. 
The  Norman villes  continued  lords  of  this  manor 
through  the  thirteenth  century.  In  the  reign  of 
the  same  king,  Hugh  de  Normanville  and  Alina 
his  wife  gave  the  monks,  in  exchange  for  the  grant 
of  Berkeley  and  his  spouse,  a  portion  of  land  lying 
to  the  eastward  of  it  called  Keluesete  and  Fawelawe, 
by  the  following  marches,  viz.,  "  from  the  unculti- 
vated ground  direct  as  far  as  the  ditch  on  the  north- 
side  of  Kelfsete,  and  so  by  that  ditch  eastward,  and 
along  the  march  stones  to  the  road  which  comes 
from  Eckford  to  Melrose,  and  from  that  road  along 
the  path  across  Celfesetestele  southwards  by  the 
march  stones,  thence  as  far  as  another  ditch  on  the 
south  of  Kelfsetestele,  and  so  along  that  ditch  to 
the  road  which  goes  thence  to  the  east,  and  so  by 
that  road  as  far  as  the  march  stones  placed  corner- 
wise,  extending  to  Fawelaweleche,  and  so  along 
that  syke  eastward  as  far  as  the  ditch  which  is  the 
boundary  between  the  lands  of  Maker stoun  and  the 
lands  of  Kuderfurde,  and  by  that  boundary  south- 
westward  to  the  road  which  comes  from  Eckford, 
and  so  across  that  road  westward  along  the  march 
stones,  between  the  cultivated  land  and  the  moor, 
and  so  making  a  circuit  along  the  march  stones 
southward,  and  thence  eastward  to  the  bounds  of 
the  lands  of  Kuderfurde,  and  along  that  boundary 
as  far  as  the  Causeway*  whfch  is  the  boundary 


The  high  road  or  street  between  Eckford  and  Melrose. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  189 

between  Makerstoun  and  Faringdun,  and  along 
that  causeway  westward  to  the  march  stones, 
thence  across  northwards  by  the  march  stones  to  a 
syke,  and  by  that  syke  and  the  march  stones  there 
as  far  as  the  spot  where  the  perambulation  began," 
with  the  exception  of  a  half  ploughgate  of  land 
lying  within  the  above  boundaries  which  Hugh  de 
Helleie  held.  Hugh  de  Norman ville  and  his  wife 
confirmed  the  remainder  of  the  grant  of  Berkeley 
and  Cecilia.*  The  land  thus  described  in  the  grant 
is  thought  to  be  the  Moorhouselaw  of  the  present 
day.  The  witnesses  to  the  grant  are  inter  alia 
Kichard,  the  parson  of  Alncrumb,  Idelo,  chaplain  of 
Lilliescliue,  Adam,  the  parson  of  Maccuston,  Kobert 
the  son  of  Maccus,  Philip  de  Maccuston,  and 
"  multus  alius." 

John  de  Normanville,  the  son  of  Hugh,  in  the 
reign  of  Alexander  II.  gave  to  the  same  monks 
several  grants  of  land  in  the  same  territory.  One 
portion  is  thus  described,  viz.,  "  along  the  ditch 
below  Kelwelaw  as  far  as  Keluesetesloch,  and  so 
descending  by  that  loch  to  the  ditch  of  Greenrig, 
and  by  that]  ditch  westward  to  Derestrete,  and  so 
southward  along  that  street  as  far  as  the  king's  way 
from  Anandale  to  Koxburgh,  and  so  along  that 
way  as  far  as  the  bounds  between  Faringdune  and 
the  land  of  the  monks."  Another  portion  lay 
towards  "the  west,  opposite  the  houses  of  Mor- 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  79-81. 


190  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

buses,  which  were  in  the  hands  of  the  said  monks, 
as  he  along  with  the  prior  and  cellarer  of  Melrose 
had  perambulated  them  ;"  and  on  the  west  side  of 
Greenrig,  "  descending  by  a  rivulet  to  the  road 
from  Newton  to  Rokesburgh,  and  by  the  same 
road  ascending  to  the  furrow  which  was  drawn 
from  the  monks  lands  of  Melrose  southwards  to 
the  same  road,  and  ascending  by  the  same  furrow 
and  the  great  march  stones  to  the  said  lands  of 
Melrose,  with  common  pastures  and  easements. 
Four  acres  and  a  half  at  Lillesietburn,  part  of  the 
moor  contiguous  to  Kuderfurde.  Afterwards,  while 
confirming  all  the  previous  grants  to  the  monks, 
he  added  Hugh  de  Helleie's  lands,  which  had  been 
excepted.  These  grants  were  all  confirmed  by 
Alexander  II.  These  liberal  grants  seem  to  have 
comprehended  nearly  the  whole  territory  which  lay 
to  the  south  of  the  town  and  to  the  west  of  the 
lands  of  Eutherfurd.  From  the  Normanvilles  the 
territory  of  Maccuston  passed  into  the  hands  of 
William  Soulis,  and  on  his  forfeiture  were  granted 
by  Kobert  I.  to  Walter  the  Steward  of  Scotland. 
Kobert  II.  granted  the  manor  to  Sir  Duncan 
Wallace  and  Eleanor  de  Brueys,  Countess  of  Car- 
rick.  In  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  the  lands 
belonged  to  Sir  Robert  Colville.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  the  Kers  of  Littledean  and  the  Halyburtons 
of  Merton  were  the  principal  owners.  The  present 
laird  of  Merton  owns  land  in  the  territory  valued 
at  £1115. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  191 

In  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  the  lands  of 
Muirhouselaw,  as  above  described,  were  possessed 
by  the  Kutherfurds.      At  the  Keformation  they 
were  occupied  by  the  Haliburtons.     In  the  taxt- 
roll  of  the  abbey  Haliburton  is  entered  as  in  pos- 
session of  the  lands,  which  are  valued  at  £512,  6s. 
8d.,  and  paying  a  duty  of  £12,  6s.  8d.     The  same 
lands  are  entered  in  the  valuation-roll  of  the  county  at 
the  present  day  at  £927.     In  the  end  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  one  of  the  Eutherfurds  slew  his 
brother-in-law  Haliburton,  at  a  place  on  the  Muir- 
houselaw estate,  still  known  as  the  "  Bloody  Well."* 
David  Haliburton,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  possessed  that  portion  of  the  lands  of  Muir- 
houselaw, comprehending  the  contiguous  stripes  of 
planting,  with  the  farm-houses  and  yards,  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  lands  of  Fairnington,  on  the 
north  and  east  by  the  lands  of  Kutherfurd  and 
Kiddletonhill,  on  the  west  by  the  said  lands  of 
Kiddletonhill,   and    land    belonging    to   Scott  of 
Harden.!    At  the  same  time  Adam  Walker  pos- 
sessed that  portion  of  said  lands  bounded  on  the 
south  by  the  lands  of  Fairnington,  on  the  east  by 
the  road  leading  from  Fairnington  through  Muir- 
houselaw to  the  farm-houses,  on  the  north  by  lands 
belonging  to  Hugh  Scott  of  Harden  and  Kamsay 
of  Littledean,  and  on  the  west  by  lands  belonging 


*  Vol.  iii.  p.  173. 

t  Valuation-Roll,  made  up  in  1813. 


192  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

to  Sir  John  Scott  of  Ancrum.  The  lands  are  now 
the  property  of  John  Ord. 

Rutherford. — The  name  of  this  place  is  derived 
from  the  British  Ruth-ther-ford,  signifying  the 
ford  of  the  Tweed  at  the  red  coloured  land. 
The  British  name  describes  the  locality.*  The 
name  of  Kutherford  or  Ruderford  first  appears  in 
a  charter  of  William  the  Lion,  confirming  a  grant 
of  Hugh  de  Norman ville  and  Alina  his  wife,  to 
the  monks  of  Melrose,  of  land  and  other  easements 
in  Moorhouse,  shortly  after  the  beginning  of  his 
reign  in  1165.  The  same  family  held  the  lands 
from  1165  to  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century.  At 
the  Reformation  Ker  of  Littledean  was  in  possesion 
of  the  lands.  In  1605  Sir  William  Stewart  of 
Traquair  held  the  barony  of  Rutherford,  which 
was  incorporated  with  the  barony  of  Edgerstone. 
Sir  Edmund  Antrobus  is  now  proprietor  of  the 
barony,  which  is  at  present  valued  at  £2088  ster- 
ling. In  1813  the  barony  was  valued  at  £2651 
Scots.  Part  of  the  lands  of  Rutherfurd  were  held 
by  families  of  the  names  of  Weston  and  Gurlay, 
and  afterwards  by  John  of  Lindesay,  in  the  reign 
of  Robert  I. 

The  ancient  town  of  Rutherfurd  stood  on  the 
haugh  between  the  present  road  to  Kelso  and  the 
river  Tweed.  A  hospital,  dedicated  to  St  Mary 
Magdalene,  existed  in  the  town  at  an  early  period, 

*  Vol.  ii.  p.  226-7. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  193 

destined  for  "  receiving  strangers  and  maintain- 
ing poor  and  infirm  people."     In  1296  the  master 
of  the  hospital  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I.     King 
Robert  I.  granted  this  hospital  to  the  Abbey  of 
Jedburgh.     The  conditions  of  the  grant  were,  that 
they  should  cause  the  service  to  be  performed  in 
the  chapel  of  the  hospital,  by  one  qualified  chap- 
lain, who  should  pray  for  the  king's  soul,  and  that 
of  his  ancestors  and  successors ;    and  in  the  event 
of  the   place   being   destroyed   by  war,  that  the 
same  service  should  be  performed  by  a  chaplain 
within  their  own  monastery  of  Jedburgh,  till  the 
place  of  Rutherford  should  be  rebuilt.     The  grant 
was  confirmed  by  the  Duke  of  Albany  in  1411.* 
In    1335   Edward   III.    granted  the  hospital  to 
Symon  de  Sandford.     At  his  death,  two  years  after- 
wards, the  mastership  was  conferred  by  the  same 
king  on  William  de  Emeldon,  his  chancellor  of 
all  his  lands  in  Scotland  subject  to  the  crown  of 
England.     In  1360  the  guardianship  of  this  hos- 
pital was  given  to  John  of  Bamborough,  who  was 
made  prebend  of  Old  Roxburgh  the  following  year. 
In  1377  Alexander  de  Symington  was  master,  but 
resigned  his  office  into  the  hands  of  Robert  III. 
In  1444  the  monks  of  Melrose  and  Dryburgh  met 
here  to  settle  a  dispute  between    them  as  to  the 
tithes  of  Lessuden :    the  abbots  of  Jedburgh  and 
Kelso  were  arbiters.     Alexander  Brown  is  said  to 
have  got  a  grant  of  the  hospital  about  this  time. 

*  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  pp.  248-9. 

N 


194  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

The  writer  of  the  New  Statistical  Account  of 
Maxton  says,  that  Rutherford  was  a  separate  parish, 
but  the  church  going  to  ruin,  was  united  to  Max- 
ton  ;  but  in  support  of  this  statement  I  can  find 
no  authority.  There  was  no  church  at  Rutherford, 
but  only  a  chapel  within  the  hospital,  and  could 
have  no  parish  attached  to  it.  The  churchyard, 
which  the  same  writer  refers  to,  was  the  burying- 
ground  of  the  hospital,  and  not  the  burying- ground 
of  a  parish.  Of  the  town  and  hospital  there  are 
now  no  remains.  About  fifty  years  ago  the  bury- 
ing-ground  was  ploughed  up,  "  and  the  gravestones 
were  broken  and  thrown  into  drains  by  an  improv- 
ing farmer." 

Littledean. — The  fine  old  border  house  or 
tower  of  Littledean,  stands  on  the  point  of  a  penin- 
sula, formed  by  the  little  dene  on  one  side,  and 
the  Tweed  on  the  other.  It  was  formerly  a  place 
of  great  note — the  west  end  built  in  the  form  of 
a  half  moon,  and  the  east  end  an  oblong  square. 
The  banks  on  each  side  are  fully  100  feet  high 
and  very  steep.  It  was  long  the  residence  of  a 
branch  of  the  family  of  the  Kers  of  Cessford. 
Brigadier -General  Walter  Ker  of  Littledean  dis- 
puted the  succession  to  the  honours  and  estates  of 
Roxburgh  with  Sir  James  Norcliffe  Innes.  He 
claimed  to  succeed  as  heir-male  general  of  Lady 
Jean  Ker,  daughter  of  Henry  Lord  Ker,  the  son 
of  the  first  Earl  Robert,  and  also  of  Henry  Lord 
Ker.     Sir  James  claimed  as  heir-male  of  the  body 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  195 

of  Margaret,  the  third  daughter  of  Henry  Lord 
Ker,  and  was  preferred  on  the  ground  that  Mar- 
garet was  the  eldest  daughter  alive  at  the  time 
the  succession  opened.*  Tradition  has  it  that  the 
last  Ker  who  resided  here  was  killed  by  a  favourite 
bull,  which  he  had  reared  with  great  care,  the 
animal  not  recognising  him  in  a  morning-gown. 
After  the  accident,  his  son  went  to  reside  at  Nen- 
thorn,  and  the  tower  was  allowed  to  fall  into  ruins. 
It  is  a  lovely  place.  Pennant  gives  a  fine  view  of 
the  ruins. t 

The  Kers  held  large  possessions  in  this  territory, 
besides  Littledean,  Maxton  Farm,  Morrick  referred 
to  in  the  above  charters,  and  Plowlands  after 
noticed.'  The  Misses  Ramsays  and  the  trustees 
of  Lady  Fairfax  are  now  the  owners  of  Maxton 
Farm  and  Morrick,  valued  at  £488  sterling. 

Plowlands  is  near  to  Littledean,  and  at  one  time 
a  part  of  the  estate.  In  1250  Thomas  de  Norman- 
ville,  the  brother  of  John,  gave  the  monks  of  Mel- 
rose a  ploughgate  of  land  which  lay  between  the 
denes  {inter  les  denes),  with  a  toft  and  croft  in  the 
town  of  Maxton,  and  all  pertinents,  liberties,  and 
easements  in  said  town  ;  the  return  being  a  pair  of 
gilt  spurs  at  the  fair  of  Roxburgh,  if  demanded,  to 
the  immediate  superior,  and  a  tercelet  to  the  over-lord, 
or  three  shillings  sterling.     The  denes  here  referred 


*  Vol.  iii.  p.  104.     Notice  of  the  House  of  Roxburghe. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  272. 


196  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

to  are  the  denes  through  which  the  burn  of  Broom- 
house  and  the  burn  of  Plowlands  flow.  Tradition 
has  it  that  the  stones  for  building  Melrose  Abbey 
were  obtained  in  this  locality,  and  it  is  thought  that 
one  of  these  denes  is  the  Alwerdene  in  the  charter 
of  Eobert  de  Berkeley  and  Cecilia  his  wife.  In 
1788  there  was  found  near  the  burn  of  Broomhouse 
five  or  six  skeletons,  on  the  top  of  the  stone  quarry, 
covered  only  with  half  a  foot  of  earth ;  also  a 
threshold  and  sides  of  a  door  of  freestone.  A  con- 
siderable village  called  Broomhouse  formerly  stood 
here,  but  with  the  exception  of  a  single  cottage, 
has  entirely  disappeared.  Plowlands  is  now  pos- 
sessed by  Lord  Pol  war  th.  The  town  of  Maxton  is 
now  reduced  to  a  few  wretched  cottages ;  the 
broken  shaft  of  its  ancient  cross  points  out  the 
place  where  tradition  says  1000  fighting  men  of  the 
barony  assembled.  The  fair  maid  who  fell  at  the 
battle  of  Ancrum  Moor  was  a  native  of  this  town. 
She  joined  the  Douglas  to  avenge  the  death  of  her 
lover,  who  was  killed  when  the  English  destroyed 
the  town. 

The  church  of  Maccuston  occupies  a  lovely 
situation  on  a  high  bank  of  the  Tweed.  It  is  seen 
in  the  twelith  century  dedicated  to  St  Cuthbert.  In 
1200  the  monks  of  Dryburgh  gave  up  to  Hugh, 
de  Normanville  all  right  which  they  had  in  the 
church,  for  half  a  ploughgate  of  land  and  other 
rights  in  the  territory  of  Newton.  The  Norman- 
villes  became  patrons  of  the  church,  which  was 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  197 

then  a  full  rectory,  with  baptismal  rights.  In  1250 
one  of  the  family  of  Normanville  was  rector  of  the 
church.  Walter  the  Steward  of  Scotland  granted 
the  patronage  of  the  church  to  the  monks  of  Dry- 
burgh,  and  his  grant  was  confirmed  by  the  Bishop 
of  Glasgow.  The  teinds  were  drawn  by  the  monks 
till  the  Keformation.  Part  of  the  fabric  of  the 
present  church  is  said  to  belong  to  the  ancient 
church  of  St  Cuthbert.  In  1792  it  was  thatched 
with  broom,  but  in  1812  it  was  thoroughly  re- 
paired, and  seated  to  hold  about  150  persons. 

In  October  1378  the  Earls  of  Warwick  and 
Suffolk,  and  other  commissioners  of  England,  met 
here  with  the  Bishops  of  Glasgow  and  Dunkeld, 
William  Earl  of  Douglas,  George  Earl  of  March, 
and  Archibald  Earl  of  Galloway,  the  Scottish 
commissioners,  to  examine  and  settle  all  matters 
relating  to  the  truce  between  the  two  kingdoms, 
but  adjourned  to  Berwick  as  more  convenient. 

The  Watling  Street  forms  the  western  boun- 
dary of  the  parish.  There  is  a  camp  on  its  east 
side,  shortly  after  it  leaves  the  parish  of  Roxburgh. 
The  road  also  forms  the  boundary  between  that 
parish  and  Ancrum. 

The  minister  of  the  parish  who  wrote  the  New 
Statistical  Account  of  the  parish  in  1834,  dates  the 
improvement  of  the  territory  from  the  making  of 
the  Kelso  turnpike  road  in  1794.  So  late,  he  says, 
as  1807  or  1808,  there  were  very  few  enclosures, 
"  by  much  the  greater  part  of  it  was  a  bleak  open 


198  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

waste,  in  many  places  covered  with  heath  and 
large  stones,  with  scarcely  a  tree  to  be  seen,  and 
the  tracks  called  roads  scarcely  passable  in  wet 
weather.  Now  it  is  all  enclosed  with  substantial 
and  thriving  hedges  ;  the  stones  that  deformed  its 
surface  have  been  blown  with  gunpowder  and 
buried  in  drains,  or  broken  into  road  metal ;  the 
fields  are  under  the  plough,  and  adorned  and 
sheltered  with  clumps  and  broad  stripes  of  thriving 
plantation,  in  spots  judiciously  selected  for  the  pur- 
pose ;  and  communication  opened  up  in  every  direc- 
tion. So  sudden,  so  complete,  and  so  beneficial  a 
change  in  the  aspect  of  a  whole  parish,  has  seldom 
happened."  From  1834  to  the  present  day,  great 
improvements  have  been  effected  in  this  locality, 
from  the  facilities  afforded  by. the  railways,  and  the 
aid  by  government  for  a  thorough  drainage  of  the 
land.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  over-estimate  the 
advantages  a  district  derives  from  railway  com- 
munications. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  199 


CHAPTER  VI. 

OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  LILLIESLEAF. 

The  earliest  form  in  which  the  name  of  this 
territory  is  written  is  Lillescliva,  Lylesclef,  Lylles- 
clive.  In  the  fourteenth  century  it  appears  as 
Lilleslyf,  and  in  the  following  century  Lilslie. 
The  etymology  of  the  name  is  very  doubtful. 
Lilliescliff  is  no  doubt  the  ancient  appellation,  and 
the  termination  leaf  is  a  corruption.  Chalmers 
thinks  that  it  received  its  name  from  some  person 
who  cannot  now  be  traced.*  While  writing  the 
first  volume  of  this  work,  I  thought  it  probable 
that  the  name  might  have  been  derived  from  the 
British  Llysau,  signifying  pasturages,  and  cliff, 
steep  clints  or  cliffs  ;  but  I  feel  doubtful  of  the  cor  • 
rectness  of  that  view,  and  now  am  inclined  to  think 
that  the  name  is  intended  to  describe  the  appear- 
ance of  the  place,  viz.,  cliffs  surrounded  by  moss 
and  meadow  abounding  with  the  lily.  There  were 
two  baronies  in  this  territory.  The  "  barony  of 
Liliesleaf "  belonged  to  the  bishop  of  Glasgow,  and 
was  held  in  free  regality. t     The  "  barony  of  West 

*  Caledonia,  vol.  ii.  p.  183.        f  Regis.  Glasg.,  pp.  466-7. 


200  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Lilliesclive"  was  held  by  the  ancient  family  of 
Riddell.     The  bishop's  barony  comprehended  the 
lands  of  Hirdemanestun  or  Hermiston,  and  other 
lands  in  Lilliesleaf.     In  1174,  the  lands  of  Her- 
miston were  confirmed  to  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow 
by  Popes  Alexander  III.,  Urban  III.,  and  Honorius 
III.     Between  1186  and  1216,  the  lands  seem  to 
have  been  held  by  tenants  of  the  church  of  Glas- 
gow, as  in  the  reign  of  William  the  Lion,  Robert 
of  Hirdmaneston   witnesses  a  charter  about  the 
end  of  that  king's  reign.    Alexander  of  Hirdmane- 
ston is  also  a  witness  to  a  charter  during  the  reign 
of  his  successor.    The  same  Alexander  swore  fealty 
to  Edward  I.     Edward  Baliol  granted  the  lands  of 
Hirmaneston  to  William  of  Stapilton,  which  was 
confirmed  by  Edward  III.  in  1 349.*     In  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixteenth  century,  half  of  the  lands  were 
in  the  possession  of  a  family  named  Johnson,  and 
called  Easter  Hermiston.     In  the  end  of  last  cen- 
tury, both  Easter  and  Wester  Hermiston  belonged 
to  William  Go  van,  and  they  are  now  held  by  his  de- 
scendants.    Half  of  Easter  Hermiston  appears  to 
have  been  for  a  time  in  the  hands  of  Scott  of  Sinton. 
The  church  of  Lilliesleaf  belonged  to  the  church 
of  Glasgow.     It  appears  in  the  Inquisitio  Davidis 
in  1116.     The  first  chaplain  of  Lillescliu  seems  to 
have  been  Walter,  who  is  a  witness  to  a  grant  of 
Robert,  Bishop  of  St  Andrews,  of  the  church  of 

*  Rotuli  Scotiae,  vol.  i.  p.  728. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  201 

Lohworuora  to  Glasgow.  He  is  also  a  witness  to 
a  grant  by  William  Somerville  of  three  acres  of 
land  in  the  town  of  Linton  to  the  same  church.* 
Pope  Alexander  III.,  Pope  Lucius  III.,  and  Pope 
Urban  III.,  confirmed  the  church  of  Lilliesleaf  to 
the  Bishop  of  Glasgow  between  1174  and  1186. 
The  parson  of  Lillescliu  is  a  witness  to  a  grant  of 
Gervaise  Avenal  of  lands  in  Eskdale  to  the  monks 
of  Melrose.  Idelio,  the  chaplain,  is  a  witness  to  the 
grant  by  Hugh  de  Normanville  and  his  wife 
Cecilia,  of  lands  in  Maxton  to  the  same  monks. 
Simeon,  the  parson  of  Lillescliue,  is  a  witness  to  a 
confirmation  of  the  church  of  Hastanesclene  to  the 
monks  of  Melrose.  In  1216,  the  church  was  again 
confirmed  to  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow  by  Pope 
Honorius  III.  John  de  Rutherford,  parson  of 
this  place,  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I.  Lilliesleaf 
continued  as  a  mensal  church  till  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  fifteenth  century,  when  it  was  given  to 
the  chapter  as  a  common  church,  and  confirmed  by 
Pope  Eugenius  IV.,  but  who  afterwards  revoked 
his  gift  and  annexed  it  to  the  holy  See.  Between 
1440  and  1460,  Robert  Turnbull  was  rector  of  the 
church.  Pope  Sixtus  IV.  again  bestowed  it  on  the 
church  of  Glasgow,  with  its  revenue  of  £24,  with 
which  it  remained  till  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, when  it  became  the  property  of  the  Duke  of 
Lennox ;  and  afterwards  its  lands  and  patronage 

*  Regis.  Glasg.,  pp.  13-17. 


202  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

belonged  to  the  Earl  of  Boxburghe,  with  whose 
family  it  now  remains. 

The  present  church  stands  at  the  east  end  of  the 
town.  It  was  built  in  1771,  and  from  its  floor 
being  lower  than  the  ground  on  the  outside,  it  is 
damp  and  uncomfortable.  The  old  church  of  the 
bishop  stood  near  to  the  present  building.  A  stone 
on  the  eastern  aisle  of  the  old  structure  bears  the 
date  of  1110.  When  the  old  Church  was  taken 
down,  there  was  found  below  one  of  the  seats  a 
coffin  containing  several  human  heads.*  The 
minister  of  this  church  had  the  privilege  of  pastur- 
age throughout  the  whole  parish,  wherever  the 
cattle  of  the  parishioners  went.  The  ancient 
family  of  Kiddell  held  lands  at  an  early  period  in 
this  territory.  The  family  is  of  Norman  origin, 
the  name  of  their  ancestors  being  on  the  roll  of 
Battle  Abbey  in  1066.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
family  was  of  note  in  Normandy,  and  that  some  of 
its  members  formed  part  of  the  expedition  in  Italy 
not  long  after  the  year  1000,  which  conquered  the 
Southern  States.  One  of  the  family  came  over 
with  William  the  Conqueror,  formed  a  good  alli- 
ance, and  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  England, 
and  from  him  is  descended  Gervaise  who  accom- 
panied Earl  David  to  Scotland.  From  Earl  He*nry 
he  got  a  grant  of  Primside  near  Yetholm,  and  was 
one  of  the  early  Sheriffs  of  the  county.     He  is  a 

*  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  xvii.  p.  279. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  203 

witness  to  several  charters  of  Alexander  I.  and 
David  I.  He  lived  to  be  a  very  old  man,  and  was 
succeeded  in  his  estate  of  Prim  side  by  his  son 
Gawfrid.  Walter  followed  Gervaise  to  Scotland, 
but  the  precise  relationship  between  them  is  not 
known.  Walter  obtained  from  David  I.  a  grant 
of  the  lands  of  Lillesclive  and  others  in  the  same 
county  before  1153.  The  lands  of  Lilliesleaf  are 
subsequently  called  Kiddell,  after  the  family.  All 
his  possessions  Walter  left  by  ivill,  with  all  his 
goods,  to  his  brother  Anschetel.  Hugh,  thought  to 
be  the  son  of  Gervaise,  settled  at  Cranstoun  in 
Mid-Lothian,  and  was  the  progenitor  of  the  family 
of  Cranstoun-Riddell.  Anschetel  left  Eiddell  and 
his  other  lands  to  his  son  Walter ;  after  him  Sir 
Patrick,  who  married  one  of  the  De  Vescis,  who 
seem  to  have  been  possessed  of  lands  in  this  terri- 
tory, and  from  whom  the  Riddel!  s  held  part  of  their 
lands.  Sir  Patrick's  son,  Sir  Walter,  succeeded  him, 
and  from  whom  descended  Sir  Walter,  Sir  Robert, 
Richard,  and  others,  down  to  Quintin,  who  was  styled, 
for  the  first  time,  of  that  Ilk.  He  died  in  1471,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  grandson  James  Riddell,  who 
had  a  brother  Thomas,  alive  in  1493.  James  had 
a  son  John  and  two  daughters,  one  of  whom 
married  a  son  of  Walter  Scott  of  Harden,  and  the 
other  one  of  the  Scotts  of  Synton.  John  succeeded 
his  father  in  1510,  and  died  in  1552.  His  grand- 
son Walter  succeeded,  and  who  married  in  1554 
Marriote  Hoppringle.     Walter  was  in  1587  said 


204  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

"  to  be  aged,  sicklie,  and  subject  to  divers  diseases 
and  infirmities  of  body,  when  he  had  a  dispensa- 
tion from  attending  the  king's  hosts."  His  son 
Andrew  was  served  heir  to  his  father  in  1592. 
His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Sir  James  Pringle 
of  Galashiels,  his  second  Violet  Douglas  of  Pom- 
pherston,  who  erected  a  memorial  to  him,  which 
records  his  death  as  taking  place  in  1632.  By  his 
second  wife  he  acquired  the  lands  of  Windydors, 
Beulie,  Drumlieknowes,  &c.  His  son  John  suc- 
ceeded in  1632,  having  been  created  a  baronet 
while  heir-apparent.  Walter,  the  second  baronet, 
succeeded  in  1636.  He  had  a  number  of  children, 
several  of  whom  suffered  great  persecution,  as  will 
be  subsequently  noticed.  John,  the  third  baronet, 
succeeded  in  1669.  He  was  brought  before  the 
circuit  of  Jedburgh  in  1683,  and  imprisoned  in 
Bonj  ed worth.  Walter,  the  fourth  baronet,  succeeded 
in  1770.  In  1680,  Archibald  Riddell,  brother  to 
the  laird  of  Kiddell,  with  Turnbull  of  Know,  and 
the  laird  of  Doun,  were  apprehended  by  the  laird 
of  Graden,  and  imprisoned  in  the  jail  of  Jedburgh. 
Next  month  Mr  Riddell  was  examined  before  a 
committee  of  the  Council,  and  owned  that  though 
he  had  not  preached  in  the  fields  since  the  indem- 
nity, yet  he  had  preached  in  private  houses  when 
there  were  people  without  doors,  which,  by  the  laws 
then  in  being,  was  construed  into  a  field  conventicle. 
He  was  sent  back  to  prison.  He  was  again  brought 
before   the   Council  in  the  December  following, 


ROXBUKGHSHIRE,   ETC.  205 

examined,  and  again  sent  back  to  prison.     In  the 
April  following  he  was  allowed  to  go  out  of  the 
jail  to  see  his  dying  mother,  on  caution  to  return 
within  fourteen  days.     He  was  afterwards  sent  to 
the  Bass,  where  he  continued  three  years.     His 
sister  was  married  to  Gabriel  Semple,  who  was 
settled  in  Jedburgh  after  the  Kevolution,  where  he 
died  in  1706.     Walter,  the  fourth  baronet,  had  six 
sons.     One  of  them,  Thomas  of  Camieston,  born 
in  1697,  married  Margaret  Hunter  of  Union  Hall, 
now  Linthill,  and  from  him  the  present  Kiddell- 
Carres  of  Cavers   are  descended.     His  daughter 
Helena  married  Kobert  Carre  of  Cavers.     His  son 
Kobert  was  minister  of  Lilliesleaf  from  1736  to 
1760.     At  the  death  of  Sir  Walter  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  second  son  Walter,  the  fifth  baronet.     His 
son  Sir  John,  the  sixth  baronet,  married  a  daughter 
of  John  Buchanan,  banker  and  merchant  in  Lon- 
don,  by   whom   he   had   two   sons,   Walter    and 
Thomas.     He  died  in  1768,  and  the  succession 
devolved  on  his  eldest  son,  Sir  Walter,  who  dying 
while  a  youth,  the  succession  was  taken  up  by  Sir 
James  Buchanan,  an  officer  in  the  first  regiment  of 
Foot  Guards,  but  who  died  at  Brunswick  a  few 
months  after  inheriting  the  title.     His  youngest 
brother,  Sir  John  Buchanan  Kiddell,  succeeded. 
He  married   Frances,   daughter  of  the  Earl  of 
Komney,  who  bore   to  him  Walter,  the  present 
baronet,  and  other  children.      Sir  John  died  in 
April  1819,  and  owing  to  his  affairs  being  embar- 


206  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

rassed  by  draining  mosses,  cultivating  waste  lands, 
and  planting,  the  estates  were  sold  in  1823,  and 
purchased  by  the  present  proprietor,  Mark  Sprot. 
His  eldest  son,  Sir  Walter  Buchanan  Riddell,  is  a 
barrister-at-law,  and  since  February  1842  steward 
of  the  manorial  courts  of  the  Duke  of  Northumber- 
land. It  is  remarkable  that  this  territory  con- 
tinued for  above  eight  hundred  years  without  any 
entail  being  executed,  or  without  passing  into  any 
collateral  line. 

Sir  John  Buchanan  Riddell  effected  great  im- 
provements on  the  estate,  drained  the  mosses,  and 
formed  extensive  plantations,  which  are  now  very 
valuable  as  well  as  ornamental.  The  barony  of 
Riddell  comprehended  the  lands  of  Wester  Lilslie, 
Linto  Bank,  with  the  town,  manor,  and  mill. 
In  1636,  Sir  Walter  Riddell  was  served  heir  to 
his  father  "  in  the  four-pound  land*  of  Linto  Bank, 
the  mill  and  lands  of  Buismill,  the  lands  of  Easter 
Clerklands,  a  piece  of  land  called  G-retlaws,  a  part 
of  the  lands  of  Wester  Lillieslee,  and  the  lands 
and  mill  of  Over  and  Nether  Whitton."  In  the  time 
of  King  William,  Patrick  Riddell  gave  the  monks 
of  Melrose  a  portion  of  his  lands  of  Lillescliue, 
with  pasture  for  twelve  oxen,  ten  cows,  five  horses, 
and  a  hundred  sheep.     The  land  is  described  by 


*  The  librata  or  pound  land  of  old  extent  was  the  half  of 
the  ploughgate,  or  fifty-two  acres.  The  word  is  seldom  met 
with  in  the  chartularies. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  207 

the  following  boundaries,  viz.,  "  beginning  at  the 
ford  of  Curlewudburneon  the  west  side  of  Caldelawe, 
along  the  road  from  Selkirk  to  Jed  worth  as  far  as 
the  Alne,  and  then  down  the  Alne,  which  divided 
his  lands  from  those  of  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  as 
far  as  the  syke  which  was  the  boundary  between 
him  and  the  abbot,  and  along  the  same  syke  to 
Curlewudburne,  and  up  the  said  burn  to  the  fore- 
said ford,  with  the  exception  of  the  land  of  Wil- 
liam, the  son  of  Alexander."*  His  son  Walter 
added  to  the  gift  Cotmedwe,  Meremedwe,  the 
meadow  at  the  head  of  King's  Flat,  the  meadow  at 
Laidholfuesland,  and  the  Pounemedwe  in  Cavers. 
He  afterwards  added  another  gift,  viz.,  "  the  whole 
of  the  land  which  Matilda  Corbet  held  as  dowry  in 
Lintedykes  and  Benelandes,  and  Burnerig  in  two 
places,  and  in  Caveris  and  Chenisflat,  and  the 
meadow  called  Stobmedue,  and  five  acres  and  a 
rood  of  his  demesne  below  Harekamb  on  the  south 
side,  viz.,  of  the  land  which  Alexander,  the  son  of 
Thoc,  held  of  him  in  ferme,  with  the  common  ease- 
ments of  the  town."  These  grants  were  confirmed 
by  the  De  Vescis,  the  over-lords.  From  Adam  of 
Durham  the  monks  purchased  for  twenty  shillings 
all  the  land  which  he  had  in  West  Lillescliue,  situ- 
ated between  the  lands  of  the  monks  called  Clerk- 
islands,   and   the   land  of  William,   the  son   of 


*  This  gift  contained  about  two  ploughgates,  or  208  Scot 
acres.     It  is  at  present  Friarshaw. 


208  THE   HISTORY    AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Alexander.  In  the  tax-roll  of  the  abbey  of  Melrose, 
the  half  of  Cringells  is  entered  as  belonging  to 
Riddell,  and  worth  £123,  10s.,  paying  50s.  of 
duty. 

The  mansion-house  of  the  manor  occupies  a 
beautiful  situation  on  the  left  bank  of  a  burn, 
which  takes  its  rise  above  Clerklands,  and  joins  the 
Ale  to  the  south  of  the  house.  The  park  is  well 
wooded,  and  contains  a  number  of  fine  trees. 
An  oak  tree  near  the  house  measures  at  the  ground 
13  feet  6  inches  ;  28  feet  from  the  ground,  9  feet 
8  inches,  and  about  90  feet  high,  with  very  few 
branches  for  upwards  of  50  feet.  A  larch  tree  in 
front  of  the  mansion  is  at  the  root  13  feet  2  inches 
in  circumference ;  6  feet  from  the  ground,  10  feet 
2  inches,  and  rises  to  the  height  of  80  feet.  An 
elm  in  the  park  measures  at  the  ground  22  feet 
7  inches  ;  13  feet  up,  15  feet  6  inches,  and  is  about 
70  feet  high.  A  large  beach  tree  stands  on  the 
side  of  the  road  between  Riddell  and  Clerklands, 
spreading  its  branches  wide  on  every  side,  and 
covering  an  area  of  1400  yards.  At  the  ground  it 
measures  30  feet  2  inches  ;  11  feet  from  the  ground, 
22  feet:  it  is  about  80  feet  high.  -An  ash  tree 
in  Eastertounbrae  measures  27  feet  3  inches  at  the 
ground  ;  at  8  feet  up,  17  feet  6  inches,  and  is  about 
60  feet  high.  A  Scots  fir  tree,  at  the  same  place, 
is  50  feet  high ;  at  the  root  it  measures  10  feet  6 
inches ;  24  feet  up,  7  feet  6  inches.  The  beach  had 
once  a  companion  ash  of  equally  large  dimensions, 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  209 

but  was  removed  some  years  ago.  These  two 
trees,  as  well  as  two  elms  on  the  roadside,  nearer 
Riddell,  are  called  the  Pleasant  Trees. 

It  is  said  in  the  Statistical  Account  and  other 
works  that  there  was  a  burying-ground  near  to 
Riddell  House,  and  a  chapel  in  a  field  called  Cha- 
pel Park.  Chalmers  says  the  chapel  is  laid  down  in 
Stobie's  map  of  the  shire ;  but  he  is  mistaken,  as 
the  chapel  marked  by  Stobie  is  the  farm  of  Chapel 
to  the  east  of  Lilliesleaf,  nearly  two  miles  distant 
from  Riddell.  It  is,  however,  probable  that  a 
chapel  existed  here,  founded  by  some  early  pro- 
prietor, for  the  convenience  of  his  family  and  ten- 
ants, of  which  there  exists  no  record.  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  in  a  note  to  the  "  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel/' 
says,  that  among  the  foundations  of  this  old  chapel 
were  found  two  stone  coffins,  one  containing  an 
earthen  pot  rilled  with  ashes  and  pieces  of  armour, 
the  other  enclosing  the  bones  of  a  man  of  gigantic 
size.  This  kind  of  interment  speaks  to  a  period 
long  before  any  of  the  name  of  Riddell  existed  in 
the  country. 

The  Chapel  referred  to  in  the  maps  was  at  one 
time  the  property  of  the  clan  Middlemas,  who,  in 
the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  were  guilty  of 
the  greatest  atrocities.  The  tower  spoken  of  by 
the  minister  of  the  parish,  and  which,  he  says, 
was  taken  down  about  forty  years  ago,  was  the 
tower  of  the  chief  of  the  clan. 

Linthill,  formerly  Union  Hall,  is  pleasantly 


210  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

situated  on  the  Ale,  to  the  east  of  Lilliesleaf.  It 
formerly  belonged  to  Edgar  Hunter,  and  at  his 
death  devolved  upon  William  Eiddell,  of  Camis- 
ton.     It  is  now  the  property  of  a  family  of  Currie. 

The  town  of  Lilliesleaf  consists  principally  of  a 
row  of  houses  on  each  side  of  the  turnpike  road. 
The  houses  are  chiefly  of  modern  construction. 
Like  the  other  villages  of  the  county,  it  formerly 
contained  a  number  of  houses  of  defence.  Old 
people,  who  died  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  remembered 
as  many  as  fourteen  of  these  houses.  The  largest 
tower  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  town,  on  the 
ridge  commanding  an  extensive  prospect  every 
way.  It  was  of  two  stories,  and  strongly  built,  and 
of  an  oblong  shape,  sufficient  to  accommodate  100 
men.  The  other  houses  were  much  smaller,  and 
it  is  probable  that,  from  its  site  and  strength,  it 
was  intended  to  be,  and  was,  the  principal  defence 
of  the  town. 

The  parish  school  occupies  a  healthy  situation, 
and  is  well  attended.  The  salary  is  £25,  13s.  4d., 
besides  fees  amounting  to  about  £20.  The 
branches  taught  are  English,  Writing,  Arithmetic, 
Latin,  and  French. 

What  remained  of  the  common  lands  of  Lillies- 
leaf were  divided  by  the  Sheriff  in  1752,  in  a  pro- 
cess of  division  between  Walter  Eiddell  of  New- 
house,  Dr  Hunter  of  Linthill,  and  Dr  Hill.  The 
lands  consisted  of  twenty  acres,  lying  chiefly  on  the 
south  side  of  the  town.     The  original  commonty 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  211 

was  of  great  extent.  The  inhabitants  of  this  dis- 
trict suffered  greatly  during  the  period  of  persecu- 
tion. Mr  Blackadder  held  one  of  his  great  con- 
venticles in  Lilliesleaf  moor.  On  that  occasion, 
the  people  assembled  to  worship  God  according  to 
the  form  they  thought  best,  hearing  that  the 
Sheriff  and  some  of  the  Life  Guards  were  ranging 
the  moors  in  the  fore-part  of  the  day,  shifted  their 
ground  within  Selkirkshire,  thinking  themselves 
safe,  being  beyond  his  bounds  ;  but  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  Sheriff  and  the  soldiers,  whose  ardour, 
however,  was  cooled  by  the  firm  deportment  of  the 
multitude,  their  fidelity  and  care  of  the  minister, 
and  the  courage  of  the  Sheriff's  sister,  who  was 
present,  and  had  been  an  attentive  hearer  of  the 
word  preached.  Pious  persons  came  from  a  great 
distance  to  the  conventicles  held  in  this  locality. 
The  lady  of  Cavers,  the  mother  of  the  Sheriff,  was 
fined  £500  sterling  for  attending  these  conventi- 
cles, and  lay  two  years  in  prison  till  the  fine  was 
paid. 

A  numerous  party  of  Presbyterians,  marching  to 
join  their  brethren  at  Both  well  Bridge,  were  at- 
tacked near  Beulie  by  several  troops  of  dragoons, 
and  being  worsted,  took  refuge  in  the  moss,  and 
being  unable  to  extricate  themselves,  many  perished 
in  the  mud. 

The  minister  who  wrote  the  old  account  of  the 
parish,  while  paying  a  high  compliment  to  the 
character  of  the  people  in  general,  for  their  sob- 


212  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

riety,  regularity  in  attendance  on  the  ordinances  of 
religion,  and  strict  observance  of  family  worship, 
and  an  anxiety  to  give  their  children  a  good  educa- 
tion, adds,  "the  dress  both  of  the  men  and  women 
has  undergone  a  most  surprising  change  within 
the  last  forty  years.  Thirty  years  ago  there  were 
only  seven  hats  in  the  church,  but  at  present  there 
are  not  so  many  bonnets" 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  213 


CHAPTER  VII. 


OF   LIDDISDALE. 


This  territory  derives  its  name  from  the  river 
Lid,  flowing  through  the  valley  or  dal,  to  join  the 
Esk.  On  the  south  it  is  bounded  by  the  English 
border,  and  on  the  north  the  march  runs  from  Car- 
lentooth  Mountain  by  Needslaw  to  Fannahill,  from 
thence  westward  along  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain ridge  by  the  Leap  hill  and  Great  Moor  hill 
till  it  touches  Dumfriesshire  at  Tudhope  hill.  In 
form  it  resembles  a  triangle  whose  base  runs  east 
and  west,  and  whose  opposite  vortex  points  to  the 
Solway.  It  is  about  eighteen  miles  in  length  and 
fully  twelve  miles  in  breadth.  The  territory  is  co- 
extensive with  the  parish.  It  was  anciently  called 
"  the  valley  of  Lydal"  and  comprehended  the 
whole  valley  from  the  springs  of  Liddel  and  Her- 
mitage to  the  Esk. 

The  counties  of  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland, 
which  bound  this  territory  on  the  south,  were 
granted  by  King  Edmund  to  Malcolm,  King  of 
Scots,  to  hold  of  him  to  protect  the  northern  part  of 
England  by  sea  and  land  against  the  incursions 


214  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

of  enemies.     In  testimony  of  this  grant,  and  as  a 
memorial  of  the  two  kingdoms,  a  cross  was  placed 
on  Stainmore,  on  the  confines  of  Westmoreland  and 
Yorkshire,  and  had  the  arms  of  England  and  Scot- 
land sculptured  on  the  opposite  sides.*     "  This 
grant  in  after- ages  proved  a  source  of  bitter  con- 
tention between  the  rival  kingdoms,  and  the  events 
attending  it  were  extremely  dreadful  to  those  coun- 
ties.    The  inhabitants  were  continually  harrassed 
with  warfare,  the  herds  and  flocks  were  swept  away, 
women  and  children  carried  into  bondage,  multitudes 
of  men  put  to  the  sword,  towns,  monasteries,  and 
churches  sacked,  pillaged,  and  laid  in  ashes ;  in  short, 
all  the  irascible  passions  of  human  nature  were  in 
arms,  and  the  conflicts  were  as  bloody  and  ferocious, 
and  accompanied   by  as  many  circumstances   of 
savage  barbarity,  as  ever  stained  the  annals  of  any 
nation   or    community."      About  the  year   1031 
Uchtred,  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  entered  the 
country  and  began  to  commit  devastations,  but  was 
met  by  Malcolm  near  Bur gh-on- Sands,  and  after  a 
well-contested  battle  the  Earl  of  Northumberland 
was  repulsed.     Duncan,  the  son  of  Malcolm,  con- 
sidering Canute  in  the  light  of  an  usurper,  refused 

*  In  1 258  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  in  virtue  of  ancient 
right,  insisted  on  his  diocese  extending  as  far  as  this  cross, 
and  hastening  to  Rome  for  confirmation  of  his  claim,  died 
on  his  journey.  The  cross  existed  at  that  time. — Lanercost 
Chronicle ;  Burn  and  Nicholson's  History  of  Cumberland, 
p.  258. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC  215 

to  pay  homage  to  him,  on  which  Canute  marched 
a  large  army  into  Cumberland  to  avenge  the  in- 
sult, but  the  two  kings,  influenced  by  the  leading 
men  of  both  nations,  made  an  investigation  into  the 
rights  of  the  Scottish  crown,  and  the  result  was  a 
confirmation  of  the  claim  made  by  the  King  of 
Scotland.  When  William  usurped  the  Crown  of 
England,  the  northern  parts  of  the  kingdom  strongly 
opposed  his  authority,  in  which  they  were  aided  by 
the  Scots,  supported  by  a  body  of  Danes  and 
Northumbrians.  William,  with  a  powerful  army, 
marched  to  the  borders  of  Scotland,  destroying  the 
whole  country  northwards  from  York  with  the  most 
extreme  and  merciless  severity.*  On  William  re- 
tiring to  the  southern  provinces,  Malcolm  followed 
and  retaliated  the  cruelty  of  the  Norman  by  carry- 
ing his  ravages  up  to  the  gates  of  Durham.  In 
1072  William  penetrated  into  Scotland,  and  Mal- 
colm consenting  to  pay  the  accustomed  homage  for 
the  provinces  held  of  England,  a  peace  was  con- 
cluded. Shortly  after,  however,  William  re-as- 
sumed the  grant  of  Cumberland,  and  bestowed  it 

*  So  great  was  the  desolation  that  for  sixty  miles  of  terri- 
tory smoke  was  not  to  be  seen  issuing  from  a  house.  Since 
the  time  that  the  Romans  departed,  the  ploughshare  had  not 
divided  the  soil  of  Cumberland,  and  the  inhabitants  are  de- 
scribed to  have  become  as  totally  ignorant  of  the  cultivation 
of  their  lands  as  if  corn  had  never  grown  in  the  district. 
Men's  chief  sustenance  was  the  produce  of  their  flocks  and 
herds. — Account  of  Cumberland,  p.  10. 


216  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

and  the  barony  of  Westmoreland  on  Kanulph  the 
younger,   one  of   his    followers,  who  married   a 
daughter  of  Hugh  de  Abrinois,  surnamed  Lupus, 
nephew  of  the  Conqueror,  and  Count  of  the  Pala- 
tinate of  Cheshire.     On  the  accession  of  William 
Rufus  to  the  throne  of  England,  Malcolm  ravaged 
the  northern  counties,   and  returned  laden  with 
spoil  to  Scotland.     Rufus  gathered  a  large  army  to 
invade  Scotland,  but  owing  to  the  sufferings  of  his 
soldiers  from  the  inclemency  of  the  season,  he  was 
obliged  to  make  peace  with  Malcolm  on  the  same 
terms  granted  by  William.     In  1135  David,  with 
the  view  of  aiding  his  niece,  the  Empress  Maud, 
who  was  contending  with  Stephen  for  the  crown, 
invaded  Cumberland  and  reduced  Carlisle,  which 
had  been  rebuilt  and  garrisoned.      To  prevent 
further  steps  being  taken  by  David,  Stephen  granted 
him  the  whole  of  the  three  northern  counties. 
Henry  demanded  and  obtained  restitution  of  these 
provinces  from  Malcolm  while  an  infant.     In  the 
year  1189  William  the  Lion  claimed  from  Richard 
I.  all  the  lands  belonging  to  the  Scottish  crown, 
but  Richard  died  before  the  claim  was  adjusted. 
It  was  renewed  during  the  reign  of  the  tyrant  King 
John,  but  he  evaded  a  decision.     On  a  civil  war 
breaking  out,  the  barons  of  the  north  applied  for 
aid  to  Alexander  II.,  who,  on  their  paying  him 
homage,  promised  to  afford  them  assistance,  which 
so  enraged  the  English  king  that  he  laid  waste  the 
whole  northern  provinces.     In  revenge  Alexander 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  217 

penetrated  as  far  as  Kichmond  in  Yorkshire,  spread- 
ing desolation  through  the  whole  country.  In  1235 
Alexander  demanded  restitution  of  the  whole  pro- 
vinces that  had  belonged  to  Scotland.  A  confer- 
ence was  held  at  York,  at  which  Otho,  the  Pope's 
Legate,  presided,  "when,  in  full  satisfaction  of  all 
the  claims  of  the  King  of  Scotland,  Henry  agreed 
to  assign  lands  of  the  yearly  value  of  £200  within 
the  counties  of  Northumberland  and  Cumberland, 
if  lands  of  that  value  could  be  found  therein  with- 
out the  limits  of  those  towns  where  castles  were 
erected/'  Nine  years  afterwards  the  baronies  of 
Penrith  and  Sowerby  were  assigned  to  the  Scottish 
crown.  The  Kershope  Water  then  became  the 
limits  of  the  kingdom. 

The  earliest  name  seen  in  connection  with  the 
territory  is  Kanulph  de  Sules,  said  to  be  a  Nor- 
thamptonshire baron  who  followed  Earl  David  to 
Scotland,  from  whom  he  received  a  grant  of  the 
valley  of  "  Lydal "  and  other  lands  in  Teviotdale. 
About  1140  he  is  a  witness  to  a  charter  of  Prince 
Henry  to  Holm  Cultram.  Before  the  year  11 47  he 
granted  to  the  monks  of  Jedworth  the  church  of 
Liddisdale  (the  church  in  the  valley  of  the  Lydal), 
a  ploughgate  of  land  in  Nisbet,  Teviotdale,  and 
the  church  of  Doddington,  near  Barton  in  Nor- 
thamptonshire. He  is  a  witness  to  the  charter  of 
David  I.  of  Annandale  to  Robert  Bruce.  He  is 
also  a  witness  to  several  charters  of  Malcolm  IV., 
and  he  was  butler  to  William  the  Lion.     William 


218  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

de  Sules  followed  his  brother  to  Scotland,  but  died 
before  him,  leaving  two  sons  Kanulph  and  Richard. 
Ranulph  dying  about  1170  without  leaving  issue, 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew  Ranulph,  who 
inherited  all  the  lands  of  his  uncle  till  1207,  when 
he  was  assassinated  by  his  domestics.*  The  second 
Ranulph  was  succeeded  in  the  valley  of  Liddel  by 
Fulco  de  Sules,  but  it  is  not  known  whether  as 
son  or  cousin.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  he  was 
of  the  same  family.  He  held  also  the  office  of 
king's  butler.  He  had  a  son  Nicholas,  who  suc- 
ceeded him  in  his  estates  and  office  under  Alex- 
ander  II.   and  Alexander  III.      He  married  a 


*  Chron.  de  Mailros,  "  Ranulphus  de  Sules  occisus  est  in 
domo  a  domesticus  suas."  It  is  said  by  Chalmers  and  other 
writers  that  the  place  of  assassination  was  Clintwood  Castle, 
situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Liddel,  a  little  above 
Castleton,  which  had  been  built  by  the  first  Ranulph  de 
Sules,  and  allowed  to  fall  into  decay  at  the  death  of  his 
nephew.  There  is,  however,  no  good  authority  for  holding 
that  the  family  built  Clintwood,  or  that  it  gave  a  name  to 
the  town  of  Castleton ;  on  the  contrary,  Clintwood  is  some 
distance  from  the  old  site  of  the  village,  and  it  is  not  likely 
to  have  conferred  a  name  on  it.  It  is  certain  that  Clint- 
wood did  not  fall  into  decay  after  Ranulph's  murder,  as 
"the  Clints,"  or  Clintwood  Castle,  existed  in  1590,  and 
appears  on  the  old  map  of  that  period.  The  name  of 
Castleton  may  have  been  derived  from  a  tower  or  strong 
fort  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  village,  and  on 
the  same  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  also  shown  on  the  map 
referred  to.  In  the  "  Origines  Parochiales  "  the  town  is  said 
to  have  obtained  its  name  from  the  castle  of  Liddel,  near 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  219 

j 

daughter  of  Comyn,  Earl  of  Buchan,  by  whom  he 
had  two  sons,  William  and  John.  In  1248  he  was 
Sheriff  of  Koxburghshire.  Owing  to  his  being 
of  the  faction  of  the  Comyns,  he  was  removed 
along  with  them  from  the  councils  of  the  king  by 
the  influence  of  Henry  II.  He  died  at  Kouen  in 
Normandy  about  1264.  Fordun,  who  records  his 
death,  styles  him  as  "  the  lord  of  the  valley  of 
Lydal,  the  wisest  and  the  most  eloquent  man  in 
the  kingdom."  *  William,  his  eldest  son,  succeeded 
his  father  in  his  estates  and  offices.  In  1271  he 
was  knighted  by  Alexander  III.  at  Haddington, 
and  acted  as  one  of  the  Magnates  Scotiae  during 
that  eventful  period.      Both  brothers  sat  in  the 

which  it  stood  ;  but  this  is  a  mistake,  as  Liddel's  strength  or 
castle  was  twelve  miles  lower  down  the  river.  But  I  think 
that  Liddel's  strength  was  the  place  of  assassination,  and 
that  the  family  of  Sules  possessed  the  whole  valley  of  the 
Liddel.  They  seem  also  to  have  obtained  at  an  early  period 
the  middle  part  of  Eskdale.  The  strength  stood  on  a 
vicinal  way  of  the  Romans,  where  it  crossed  the  river  and 
went  up  the  east  side  of  the  Esk  to  Castleover,  and  from 
thence  to  the  northern  extremity  of  Eskdale.  The  position 
commanded  the  entrance  to  the  valley.  On  the  whole  of 
the  northern  counties  being  recovered  by  England,  the 
Liddel  then  became  the  boundary  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
the  Kershope.  At  that  time  the  Sules  would  be  under  the 
necessity  of  erecting  a  castle  within  Scotland,  which  they 
did  at  Hermitage,  to  the  great  offence  of  the  English  king. 
*Anno  1264,  obiit  Nicolaus  de  Soules  Dom  Vallis  de 
Lydal  Kothamagum  vir  totius  regni  eloquentissimus  de 
sapientissimus. 


220         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

I 

Parliament  held  at  Birgham  on  Tweed  in  1290. 
He  died  before  1305,  and  his  brother  fell  along 
with  Edward  Bruce  at  the  battle  of  Dundalk  in 
1318.  He  left  a  son,  William,  who  conspired 
against  his  king,  and  forfeited  all  the  lands  and 
possessions  which  he  inherited  from  his  father. 

When  Edward  I.  overran  Scotland,  he  granted 
the  Hermitage,  in  the  valley  of  the  Lyddel,  to  John 
de  Wake,  and  at  his  death  the  same  king  con- 
tinued his  widow  in  the  possession  thereof.  But 
when  Bruce  regained  the  kingdom,  the  Hermitage 
was  restored  to  William  de  Sules,  son  of  the  wise 
Nicolas,  and  was  lost  by  treason,  as  before  men- 
tioned. From  the  family  of  Sules  the  territory 
passed,  in  1322,  into  the  hands  of  Robert  Bruce, 
the  natural  son  of  the  King.  In  1342,  Sir  Robert, 
the  Steward  of  Scotland,  appeared  before  David  II. 
and  his  council  at  Aberdeen,  and  demanded  pos- 
session of  the  valley  of  Lydale,  in  terms  of  his 
fathers  grant.  The  claim  was  opposed  by  Wil- 
liam Douglas,  who  alleged  the  lands  belonged  to 
him  in  virtue  of  a  charter  of  Sir  Archibald  of 
Douglas.  The  decision  was  against  Douglas,  and 
the  Steward  obtained  seisin  of  the  lands.  Two 
days  after,  the  King  granted  to  the  defeated  claim- 
ant all  the  lands  of  the  valley  of  Lydale  which 
belonged  to  William  de  Sules,  as  held  by  him 
previous  to  the  forfeiture.  Between  1346  and 
1351,  Sir  William  Douglas  is  called  "lord  of  the 
valley  of  Lydal."    Edward  de  Baliol  granted  the 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  221 

lands  to  William  de  Warren.  On  the  Knight  of 
Liddisdale,  who  was  taken  captive  at  the  battle  of 
Durham,  engaging  to  serve  Edward  III.,  he  was 
released,  and  the  territory  restored  to  him.  Wil- 
liam of  Douglas,  the  first  earl,  slew  the  Knight  of 
Liddisdale,  and  got  possession  of  the  lands.  Ed- 
ward III.  ordered  the  lands  to  be  restored  to  the 
widow  of  the  knight  and  Hugh  de  Dacre,  her 
second  husband.*  Between  1371  and  1381,  the 
lands  were  possessed  by  William,  Earl  of  Douglas, 
and  his  son  James  Douglas,  who  fell  on  the  field 
of  Otterburn.  In  1398,  the  territory  was  trans- 
ferred to  George  Douglas,  the  Earl  of  Angus,  who 
was  the  youngest  son  of  the  first  Earl  Douglas, 
and  husband. of  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  III. 
It  continued  in  this  family  for  nearly  100  years, 
when  the  King  compelled  Angus  to  exchange  the 
territory  with  Patrick  Hepburn  for  Bothwell.  In 
1540,  the  lands  were  annexed  to  the  crown  by  Act 
of  Parliament,  the  country  being  a  haunt  of  free- 

*  The  Dacres  were  an  illustrious  family  in  England,  and 
their  original  mansion,  Dacre  Castle,  in  Cumberland.  The 
Dacres  were  also  Lords  of  Naworth  Castle.  In  1559,  the 
last  heir-male  of  the  family,  George  Lord  Dacre,  was  killed 
by  a  fall  from  a  wooden  horse,  and  his  daughter  married 
Lord  William  Howard,  third  son  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk. 
Howard  was  the  terror  of  the  Moss  Troopers,  on  whom  he 
exercised  the  most  summary  justice.  The  Dacres  were  also 
owners  of  the  barony  of  Greystoke,  Thomas  Lord  Dacre, 
who  died  in  1525,  having  married  Elizabeth,  the  heiress  of 
the  barony. 


222  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

booters,  and  Bothwell  of  doubtful  loyalty.  He  at- 
tended the  Parliament  in  1543,  and  made  an  attempt 
to  regain  Liddisdale  and  his  castle  of  Hermitage. 
Next  year,  he  is  found  giving  counsel  and  aid  to 
the  English  army  under  Hertford.  Of  these  trea- 
sons he  was  accused  before  the  Parliament  in 
November,  but  obtained  a  remission  from  the 
governor,  which  the  Estates  ratified  in  the  following 
month,  and  it  operated  as  a  parliamentary  pardon 
for  all  crimes  previously  committed  by  him.  In 
September  1549,  he  swore  fealty  to  Edward,  and 
obtained  a  pension  of  3000  crowns  and  a  guard  of 
100  horsemen.  He  died  in  1556,  aged  fifty-one 
years.  His  son  James,  Earl  of  Bothwell,  succeeded, 
and  was  the  most  powerful  nobleman  in  the 
south  of  Scotland.  Besides  all  the  estates  of  his 
father,  he  was  great  Admiral  of  Scotland,  Sheriff 
of  Edinburgh,  Haddington,  and  Berwick,  and 
Bailie  of  Lauderdale.  He  possessed  the  Castles  of 
Hermitage,  Hales,  and  Crichton.  In  1562  he  was 
imprisoned  in  Edinburgh  Castle,  from  which  he 
contrived  to  escape,  and  fled  for  refuge  to  the  Cas- 
tle of  Hermitage,  but  not  finding  this  place  a  safe 
retreat,  he  left  the  country  for  France.  He  returned 
to  Scotland  in  1564,  and  took  possession  of  Hermi- 
tage Castle,  with  a  great  following  of  Liddisdale 
men.  He  was  obliged  to  give  surety  for  appearing 
before  the  Justice  Ayre  at  Edinburgh  in  May. 
The  Earls  of  Argyle  and  Murray  attended  with 
5000  men  to  hold  the  court,  but  Bothwell,  being 


223 

advised  of  this,  did  not  appear,  and  his  bail  was 
forfeited.  Next  year  the  Earl  was  allowed  to  re- 
turn, and  as  lieutenant  of  the  marches,  he  was 
appointed  one  of  the  Commissioners  for  settling 
disputes  on  the  borders.  Meanwhile  the  English 
warden,  Forster,  gained  over  the  men  of  Liddis- 
dale,  and  when  Bothwell  arrived  at  Hermitage  to 
arrest  the  criminals  for  the  ensuing  Justice  Ayre 
at  Jedburgh,  he  was  defied,  attacked,  and  severely 
wounded  by  John  Elliot  of  Park.  While  lying  ill 
of  the  wounds  he  had  received,  he  was  visited  by 
Queen  Mary,  who  was  holding  her  court  in  Jed- 
burgh as  before  mentioned.*  He  died  in  prison  in 
Denmark  in  1576,  without  leaving  any  children. 
His  nephew  had  all  the  vices  of  his  uncle ;  and 
shortly  after  his  forfeiture  in  1594,  the  lands  were 
granted  to  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Branxholm,  who 
was  created  Lord  Buccleuch  in  1606,  leaving 
Walter,  his  son,  to  inherit  the  property.  Walter 
was  elevated  to  the  earldom  of  Buccleuch  in  1619, 
and  died  in  1633,  leaving  his  border  lands  and  the 
barony  of  Crichton  to  his  son  Francis.  In  the 
same  year  in  which  Walter,  the  Earl  of  Buccleuch, 
died,  the  parliament  confirmed  a  grant  of  rehabili- 
tation by  the  king  to  Bothwell  in  1624,  and  which 
relieved  him  from  his  father's  forfeiture,  thereby 
entitling  him  to  possess  all  the  estates  belonging  to 
him  wherever   situated.      Under    this   grant  he 

*Vol.ii.p.  173. 


224  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

claimed  the  estates  of  his  father  including  Liddis- 
dale,  Hailes,  and  Crichton,  possessed  by  the  Earl  of 
Buccleuch.     Both  parties  submitted  their  claims 
to  the  award  of  Charles  L,  who  pronounced  a  de- 
cree, which  the  Parliament  of  1 640  ratified.     The 
particular  terms  of  this  decreet  are  not  ascertained, 
but  it  is  certain  that  under  it  Hailes  and  Crichton 
were  recovered  by  the  family  of  Bothwell,  while 
Liddisdale   continued  with   Buccleuch.     Francis 
Scott  died  in  1651,  leaving  two  daughters,  Mary 
and  Anne.     Mary  was  married  at  the  age  of  eleven 
to  Walter,  eldest  son  of  Sir  Gideon  Scott  of  High- 
chesters,  who  was  at  the  time  in  his  fourteenth 
year.    He  was  created  Earl  of  Tarras  for  life.    On 
the  countess  arriving  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
the  parties  were  re-married.     She  died  without 
issue,  and  was  succeeded  by  her  sister  Anne,  who 
married  the  Duke  of  Monmouth  in  1633.     The 
countess  was  twelve  years  of  age,  and  her  husband 
fourteen.     Monmouth  assumed  the  name  of  Scott 
on  his  marriage,  and  himself  and  countess  were 
created  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Buccleuch,  which 
honours  were  forfeited  on  his  being  executed  for 
treason.  When  the  king's  advocate,  at  the  criminal 
court  held  in  February  1686,  insisted  on  the  for- 
feiture of  Monmouth,  the  counsel  for  the  duchess 
protested  that  the  doom  against  her  husband  should 
not  prejudice  her  just  right  to  her  own  estate,  of 
which   Monmouth  had  only  the  liferent.       The 
estates  were  preserved,  and  the  duchess  lived  long, 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  225 

and  acquired  for  her  children  many  lands.  By  her 
marriage  with  Monmouth  she  had  two  sons  and 
four  daughters.  The  duchess  married  secondly 
Charles,  third  Lord  Cornwallis,  by  whom  she  had 
three  children.  At  her  death,  in  1706,  she  was 
succeeded  by  her  eldest  son,  James,  Earl  of  Dal- 
keith. He  obtained  several  of  the  English  honours 
and  estates  of  his  grandfather.  He  was  married  a 
second  time,  to  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  second 
Duke  of  Queensberry.  He  died  in  April  1751 ,  and 
his  son  Henry  inherited  his  estates  and  honours. 
On  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Queensberry  without 
issue,  he  succeeded  him  in  the  dukedom  and  large 
estates  in  Dumfriesshire.  He  died  in  1811.  Charles 
William  Henry  succeeded.  Previous  to  the  death 
of  his  father  he  had  sat  in  the  House  of  Peers  as 
Baron  Lyndale.  He  married  the  youngest  daughter 
of  Thomas,  first  Viscount  Sidney.  At  his  death, 
in  1819,  he  was  succeeded  by  Walter  Francis  Mon- 
tague Douglas  Scott,  who  still  inherits  the  lands 
and  honours. 

Hermitage  Castle. — The  name  of  this  castle, 
as  well  as  the  chapel  and  river,  is  derived  from  the 
cell  of  a  hermit  who  had  retired  to  this  secluded 
place  on  the  waste.  He  could  not  have  chosen  a 
more  desolate  spot,  for  his  residence  would  be  sur- 
rounded on  every  side  by  morasses  and  lofty  moun- 
tains. The  castle  stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  of  the  same  name.  Different  opinions  are 
entertained  as  to  the  builder  of  this  stronghold. 


226  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

One  authority  states  that  it  was  Alexander  II.  who 
caused  it  to  be  erected,  another  that  Walter 
Cumyn,  Earl  of  Monteith,  was  the  founder,  while 
a  third  makes  one  of  the  Sules  family  the  raiser  of 
the  structure.  I  think  it  is  almost  certain  that  the 
wise  and  eloquent  Nicholas  de  Sules,  who  succeeded 
Fulco  de  Sules,  was  the  person  who  built  this  castle, 
on  losing  Liddel's  strength.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  date  of  the  building  must  have  been  a  short 
period  before  1244,  for  at  that  time  Henry  III. 
assembled  an  army  at  Newcastle  to  invade  Scot- 
land, one  of  the  grounds  of  complaint  being  "  the 
erection  of  a  castle  by  the  Scots  on  the  marches 
between  Scotland  and  England  in  the  valley  of 
Liddel,  which  is  called  Hermitage/'*  By  the 
mediation  of  certain  English  barons  the  quarrel 
between  the  two  kings  was  adjusted.  This  Nicho- 
las de  Sules  was  at  the  time  the  owner  of  the  terri- 
tory, and  married  to  a  daughter  of  Cumyn,  the  Earl 
of  Buchan,  and  about  the  time  Sheriff  of  Roxburgh- 
shire. He  was  the  only  subject  who  had  a  right  to 
build  a  castle  on  the  territory.  Besides,  it  is  not  to 
be  forgotten  that  the  family  of  Sules  did  not  reside 
at  their  blood-stained  house  after  the  assassination 
of  the  second  Ranulph,  and  nothing  is  more  pro- 
bable than  that  after  that  time  they  built  Hermi- 
tage in  a  situation  of  far  greater  security  from 
English  inroad.     On  the  whole  it  may  be  safely 

*  Fordun,  Lib.  ix.,  p.  74. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  227 

inferred  that  Nicholas  was  the  founder.  The  castle 
has  been  very  strong,  nearly  100  feet  square,  de- 
fended by  strong  ramparts  and  ditch.  The  original 
form  of  the  building  was  an  oblong  square,  but  at 
a  subsequent  period  it  received  the  addition  of  four 
large  wings  or  towers  The  ancient  architecture 
can  easily  be  distinguished  from  the  modern  by  its 
superior  masonry.  It  is  probable  that  the  more 
modern  parts  of  the  castle  were  built  by  the  Earls 
of  Angus  when  they  got  possession  of  the  lands  in 
1398.  The  principal  entrance  to  the  castle  has 
been  from  the  west.  On  the  south  side  of  it  is  the 
river,  and  on  the  other  three  sides  is  a  deep  and 
level  morass.  On  the  east  the  only  access  is  by  a 
narrow  causeway,  and  on  the  west  by  fording  the 
stream.  But  the  chief  defence  of  the  castle  con- 
sisted in  the  nature  of  the  ground  by  which  it  was 
surrounded,  full  of  moss  and  morass,  rendering  the 
approach  of  an  enemy  difficult  and  dangerous,  with- 
out any  opposing  force.  Edward  I.  bestowed  the 
castle  of  Hermitage  and  its  pertinents  on  John  de 
Wake,  who  held  it  till  his  death,  and  his  widow, 
who  had  been  seised  by  the  same  king  in  the  third 
part  thereof  as  her  dowry,  having  been  dispossessed 
by  the  Sheriff  of  Eoxburgh,  applied  to  Edward  to 
have  her  rights  restored  to  her.  William  de  Sules, 
as  heir  of  Nicholas,  was  summoned  to  appear  for 
his  interest,  which  he  did,  and  pleaded  an  ordinance 
of  the  same  king  that  heirs  under  age  in  Scotland 
should  not  be   disinherited.     The  king  and  his 


228  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

council  held  that  as  William  de  Sules  was  under 
age  he  could  not  hold  the  lands,  and  therefore  as- 
signed the  same  to  the  widow  during  pleasure. 
William  de  Douglas,  the  knight  of  Liddisdale,  got 
a  grant  of  the  castle  from  David  II.  Before  the 
battle  of  Durham  the  knight  seized  the  castle, 
which  was  then  held  by  William  Warren  from 
the  English  king.*  He  was  taken  captive 
at  the  battle,  but  was  released  on  an  engage- 
ment to  serve  theJ  English,  and  allow  passage 
through  Liddisdale  to  the  armies  of  England. 
William  de  Douglas,  the  first  earl,  slew  the 
Knight  of  Liddisdale  while  hunting  in  Ettrick, 
and  in  doing  so  he  was  fully  warranted.  The 
knight  had  been  guilty  of  treason,  and  Douglas  was 
Warden  of  the  Border  and  King's  Justiciary.  For 
this  service  the  Earl  of  Douglas  got  a  royal  grant 
of  the  castle  and  lands.  In  May  1452  a  commis- 
sion was  given  by  the  Earl  of  Angus  to  Sir  Archi- 
bald Douglas  and  his  son,  as  bailiffs  of  Liddisdale, 
and  the  keeping  of  the  castle  committed  to  them. 
The  immediate  cause  of  the  Earl  of  Angus  being 
deprived  of  Liddisdale  and  Castle  of  Hermitage 

*It  was  this  William  of  Douglas  who  seized  Sir  Alexander 
Ramsay,  Sheriff  of  Teviotdale,  while  holding  his  court  at 
Hawick,  and  carried  him  to  Hermitage  Castle,  where  he 
confined  him  in  a  dungeon  till  he  was  starved  to  death.  In- 
stead of  being  hanged  for  this  atrocious  murder,  the  weak 
David  appointed  him  to  the  office  of  sheriff  which  he  had 
made  vacant. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  229 

was  his  killing  Spens  of  Kilspendie  in  a  duel  near 
Borthwick.  After  the  duel,  Angus  said  to  the 
attendant  of  Kilspendie, — "  Go  thy  way :  tell  my 
gossip,  the  king,  that  here  was  nothing  but  fairplay. 
I  know  my  gossip  will  be  offended ;  but  I  will  get 
me  into  Liddisdale,  and  remain  in  my  Castle  of 
Hermitage  till  his  anger  be  abated."  The  king 
seeing  that  there  was  no  order  to  be  had  with  Angus 
so  long  as  he  held  Liddisdale,  compelled  him  to 
exchange  that  territory  for  the  lands  and  Castle  of 
Bothwell.  But  the  Bothwells  were  not  suited  for 
the  turbulent  men  of  Liddisdale,  who  could  hardly 
be  restrained  by  the  iron  hand  of  a  Douglas.  Dur- 
ing their  rule  the  valley  of  Liddel  became  the 
haunt  of  freebooters,  thieves,  and  murderers.  In 
1535  the  Castle  of  Hermitage  was  in  the  keeping 
of  Lord  Maxwell  for  seven  months,  for  which  he 
was  paid  £100  per  month.  He  seems  to  have 
repaired  the  castle  in  1540  at  the  cost  of  £100.  In 
1542  Thomas  Dalmahoy  was  paid  22s.  for  convey- 
ing artillery  to  the  castle.  In  1612  Koger  Scott 
was  captain  of  Hermitage. 

While  the  Sules  and  Douglas  were  the  over- 
lords of  Liddisdale,  they  had  under  them  a  number 
of  vassals  who  had  land  in  the  territory  and  followed 
them  to  the  battle-field.  In  the  course  of  time,  and 
as  the  supreme  authority  grew  weak,  these  persons 
gathered  around  them  a  band  of  their  own  retainers, 
and  carried  on  business  on  their  own  account,  on 
both  sides  of  the  border,  as  best  suited  their  inter- 


230  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

ests.  On  the  Borders  there  were  seventeen  clans, 
and  in  the  valley  of  Lydal  there  were  two  leading 
clans  of  the  names  of  Elliot  and  Armstrong.  The 
former,  the  chief  of  whom  was  the  laird  of  Larris- 
ton,  occupied  the  upper  part  of  the  dale  from  a  little 
above  Kershope  Foot,  while  the  latter,  whose  chief 
was  the  laird  of  Mangerton,  occupied  the  lower  part 
and  part  of  Canonby.  Both  clans  were  notorious 
freebooters  ;  but  from  the  chief  historical  records  of 
the  period,  and  more  especially  from  the  ballads, 
it  would  appear  that  the  Armstrongs  were  not  only 
in  greater  numbers,  but  more  given  to  ridiug  into 
England.  They  were  bold  warriors,  and  brave 
defenders  of  their  country.  Kinmont  Willie  always 
rode  with  one  hundred  able  Armstrongs  at  his  back. 
Gilnockie,  the  brother  of  the  chief,  with  a  gallant 
band,  placed  England  under  contribution  from  the 
Esk  to  Newcastle.  Langholm  Castle  was  origin- 
ally a  tower  of  the  Armstrongs.  The  period  when 
the  first  of  the  Elliots  settled  in  Liddisdale  has 
not  been  ascertained  with  any  degree  of  certainty, 
but  it  must  have  been  about  the  end  of  the  fif- 
teenth, or  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  It 
is  thought  that  the  Elliots  originally  belonged  to 
Renfrewshire,  and  gave  name  to  "  Elliotston," 
which  appears  to  have  been  possessed  by  a  family 
of  Sempil,  in  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. John  Sempil  of " Elliotston"  appears  as  a 
witness  in  the  charters  of  Robert  Duke  of  Albany 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  231 

in  1406  and  1409.*  Thomas  Sempil  appears  as 
Sheriff  of  Kenfrewshire  in  1481.  The  name  is 
first  seen  in  the  criminal  record  as  "  Elwood"  and 
by  that  form  of  the  name  the  chief  of  Carriston 
(Larriston)  appears  in  the  list  of  clans  kept  by 
the  English  warden. 

Tradition  has  it  that  the  original  surname  of  the 
Armstrongs  was  Fairbairn.  Fairbairn  was  an 
armour-bearer  to  one  of  the  early  kings  of  Scotland, 
and  on  the  king's  horse  being  killed  under  him  in 
battle,  Fairbairn  dismounted,  and  taking  the  king 
by  the  thigh,  set  him  at  once  on  the  saddle  of  his 
own  horse.  For  this  assistance,  the  king  gave 
him  the  name  of  Armstrong,  bestowed  upon  him 
many  lands  on  the  border,  and  assigned  him 
for  crest  "  an  armed  hand  and  arm,  in  the  hand 
a  leg  and  foot  in  armour,  couped  at  the  thigh,  all 
proper,  f 

The  celebrated  Johnnie  Armstrong  of  Gilnockie 
was  the  brother  of  Mangerton. 

In  the  British  Museum  is  preserved,  in  one  of 
the  Eoyal  MSS.,  a  copy  of  the  manuscript  tract 
addressed  to  Lord  Burghley,  illustrative  of  the 
border  topography  of  Scotland,  of  date  1590,  with 
a  map  of  the  Borders,  taken  in  the  same  year. 
The  manuscript  map  is  entitled  "  A  Plan  of  the 
Opposite  Borders  of  Scotland  to  the  West  Mar- 
ches of  England/'     On  it  the  different  castles  and 

*  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.         f  Nation,  vol.  i.  p.  151. 


232         THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

houses,  with  the  names  of  many  of  the  owners,  are 
minutely  specified.  At  the  bottom  of  the  map  is 
written,  "  the  moste  of  these  places  on  the  Scot- 
tish syde  are  tower  and  stone  houses,  with  some 
few  plenashed  towns,  as  Dumfries,  Annand,  Lough- 
maben,  and  such  like  :  for  the  rest  not  put  downe, 
they  are  but  onsetts  and  straggling  houses,  the  in- 
habitants followers  of  these  above  described."  In 
this  tract,  under  the  head  of  "  Lyddesdale,"  the 
following  memorandum  occurs  : — "  The  chiefe  sur- 
names in  Lyddesdale  stand  upon  Armstrongs  and 
Elwoods.  The  chiefe  Armstrong  is  of  Mangerton, 
and  the  chiefe  Elwoode  at  Lariston.  These  are 
two  great  surnames,  and  most  offensive  to  Eng- 
land at  this  daie,  for  the  Armstrongs,  both  of 
Annendale  and  Lyddesdale,  be  ever  ryding."  And 
again  :  "  It  is  governed  by  a  keeper,  who  lyeth  in 
Armitage,  the  chief  strength  of  Lyddesdale.  The 
L.  Bothwell  hath  most  land  there.  The  strength 
of  the  country  consisteth  in  the  surnames  of  Arm- 
strongs and  Elwoodes.  These  people  ride  most 
into  Gillesland,  Astonemore,  and  Northumberland. 
The  keeper  of  Lyddesdale,  the  laird  of  Farne- 
harst,  under  the  young  Duke  of  Lennox." 

The  valley  on  each  side  of  the  rivers  Liddel  and 
Hermitage  was  studded  with  towers  or  peels.  The 
first  tower  or  peel-house  stood  near  the  source  of 
the  Liddel,  on  the  right  bank  thereof.  It  be- 
longed to  Martin  Crosier  of  Eakestonleis.  John 
of  Copshaw's  tower  stood  on  the  right  bank  of  the 


Jhc  Strralie  of  part  of  a.  Map  cf  th& 
OppositeBorders  of  Scotland-  fotfbe.  W&tMaTrhes  pfJfa?7an<lJ)eeT/39o. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  233 

"  Helcaldron  burn,"  at  a  place  where  that  burn 
joins  the  other  source  of  the  Lyd,  on  which 
Crosier 's  tower  stood.  A  little  farther  down,  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  river,  stood  the  residence  of 
old  traitor  Sim  Elliot,  execrated  in  the  ballad  of 
"  Hobbie  Noble."  It  was  a  place  of  great  strength, 
but  nothing  now  remains  of  it.  A  very  short  way 
down  the  river  stood  the  strong  fort  of  Kobert 
Elliot,  adjacent  to  the  modern  house  of  Haggis- 
haugh.  This  house  of  Elliot's  is  named  in  the 
map  Ladiesfaine.  When  the  foundations  of  it 
were  dug  up  about  sixty  years  ago,  the  workmen 
discovered  among  the  ruins  the  remains  of  what 
had  been  a  capacious  oven ;  a  cannon  ball  of 
eighteen  pounds  weight  was  also  discovered  by 
those  engaged  in  digging  for  hewn  stones.  The 
Kobert  Elliot  who  possessed  this  tower  at  this 
period  was  the  ancestor  from  whom  all  the  border 
Elliots  are  descended.  A  second  son  of  his  was 
Gavin,  the  first  of  the  house  of  Stobs.  Tradition 
relates  that  Kobert  Elliot  could  travel  on  his  own 
lands  from  Larriston  to  Hawick,  a  distance  of 
eighteen  miles,  except  for  a  few  ridges  in  one  place. 
The  last  direct  lineal  descendant  of  the  family  was 
General  Elliot,  who  rose  from  the  ranks  to  high 
position  and  wealth.  Before  departing  for  India 
he  was  employed  first  in  the  menial  service  of  a 
tailor's  apprentice,  and  afterwards  as  stable-boy 
with  his  relative,  Elliot  of  Stobs.  His  master 
seems  to  have  been  aware  of  his  descent,  for  when 


234  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

he  went  out  to  ride  he  was  wont  to  observe  as 
he  mounted  his  steed,  "  Better  he  that  holds  the 
stirrup  than  he  that  rides."  The  general,  after 
distinguished  services,  returned  from  India,  and 
repurchased  his  ancestral  possessions.* 

*  Helen  Kid's  Curse. — Since  the  publication  of  the 
Border  Minstrelsy,  a  good  many  traditional  anecdotes  con- 
nected with  old  border  times  have  found  their  way  into 
print,  but  most  of  them  of  very  inferior  interest,  and,  what 
is  worse,  of  very  doubtful  authenticity.  So  much,  indeed, 
has  been  published,  that  the  subject  may  be  said  to  be 
nearly  exhausted.  A  great  number  of  traditions  have 
perished  with  the  old  people  who  related  them  ;  a  very  few 
yet  linger,  having  perhaps  not  more  than  one  frail  life  be- 
tween them  and  oblivion.  Of  this  latter  class  the  following 
brief  relation  may  be  given  as  a  specimen. 

One  of  the  Elliots  of  Larriston,  a  young  man,  chanced  to 
fall  in  love  with  a  young  woman  named  Helen  Kid,  the 
daughter  of  one  of  his  retainers.  It  would  appear  that  his 
love  was  returned,  for  the  two  were  hand-fasted,  and  within 
the  prescribed  period  of  a  year  and  a  day  Helen  presented 
her  lover  with  a  son.  This  circumstance  so  strengthened  his 
attachment,  that  his  resolution  became  fixed  to  have  their 
union  solemnized  by  holy  church.  It  need  scarcely  be  said 
that  such  a  proceeding  on  the  part  of  young  Elliot  was  very 
unpopular.  His  bride-elect  was  not  only  the  daughter  of 
one  of  the  lowest  and  poorest  of  his  vassals,  but,  worse  than 
that,  she  did  not  bear  the  name  of  either  Elliot  or  Arm- 
strong. Accordingly  she  was  looked  upon  as  nobody,  a 
mere  beggar's  brat,  upon  whom  the  young  chief,  the  glory 
of  his  house,  was  actually  throwing  himself  away.  The 
parties  most  violent  in  their  opposition  to  the  match  were 
the  sisters  and  daughters  of  his  chief  retainers,  all  ladies  of 
his  own  name,  and  all,  in  one  degree  or  another,  his  kins- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  235 

About  half  way  between  Lauriston  and  Castle- 
ton,  on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  stood  a  place 
called  "  The  Glints"  but  the  owner  is  not  named 
on  the  map. 

Castleton. — On  the  same  bank  of  the  river,  was 

women.  All  and  each  of  them  looked  upon  the  rank  to  be 
attained  by  being  Larriston's  wife  as  the  summit  of  earthly 
ambition ;  and  as  not  a  few  of  them  had  in  their  separate 
endeavours  been  most  diligent  to  attain  this  giddy  height 
for  themselves,  it  followed  as  a  consequence  that  the  success 
of  their  humbler  rival  was  felt  as  something  extremely 
mortifying.  To  look  upon  her  as  his  favourite  leman  was 
bad  enough,  but  to  contemplate  her  becoming  his  wedded 
wife,  to  whom  they  would  be  bound  to  give  honor,  was 
more  than  they  could  endure,  and  they  were  by  no  means 
disposed  to  submit  to  such  endurance  either  meekly  or 
passively.  To  turn  the  laird  from  his  purpose  they  were 
not  slow  to  put  in  practice  every  method  they  could 
devise ;  they  invented  and  circulated  slanders  affecting 
Helen's  maidenly  fame  ;  they  represented  her  as  an  art- 
ful abandoned  creature  ;  they  even  accused  her  of  being 
a  witch,  a  horrid  accusation  in  those  days — they  did 
all,  in  short,  that  an  enraged  woman  could  do  ;  but  all 
was  in  vain.  The  lover  had  such  perfect  confidence  in 
the  truth  and  purity  of  her  he  loved,  that  what  he  heard 
made  him  love  her  the  more.  The  day  on  which  the 
marriage  was  to  be  solemnized  was  fixed,  and  preparations 
were  being  made  for  the  approaching  ceremony,  when  all  at 
once,  as  if  by  magic,  the  ladies  underwent  a  transformation, 
and  professed  to  see  the  matter  in  quite  a  new  light.  They 
professed  to  make  the  discovery  that  the  reports  lately  cur- 
rent were  unfounded  and  gross  calumnies,  that  Helen  Kid 
was  in  reality  a  young  person  of  rare  moral  worth ;  they 
asserted  that  the  laird's  choice  was  most  creditable  both  to 


236  THE  HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

a  place  of  strength,  defended  on  the  north  by  a 
deep  ravine,  on  the  west  by  Liddel,  and  a  preci- 
pice of  more  than  100  feet  in  height ;  and  on  the 
east  and  south  by  two  ramparts  of  great  strength, 
and  a  fosse  of  great  depth.  It  gave  name  to  the 
old  town  of  Castleton.  Near  to  where  the  Liddel 
meets  the  Hermitage,  a  peel  is  marked  as  stand- 
ing on  the  left  bank,  called  "Potterlain  Park" 
without  any  owner's  name  being  attached  to  it. 

Whithaugh  tower  stood  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Liddel,  a  short  way  after  the  Hermitage  joins  that 
river.  It  was  almost  entire  within  the  memory  of 
old  persons  not  long  deceased.  It  was  destroyed 
by  the  trustees  of  the  late  John  Elliot  of  Whit- 


his  good  taste  and  good'  sense,  and  that  they  were  all  most 
anxious  to  cultivate  the  bride's  friendship,  less  for  the  posi- 
tion she  was  about  to  occupy  than  for  her  own  merits.  In 
seeming  accordance  with  these  professions  they  appointed 
an  entertainment  to  which  she  was  invited,  to  which  she 
came,  and  at  which  she  was  poisoned.  How  the  deed  was 
done  there  is  no  circumstantial  account ;  tradition  merely 
says  she  was  poisoned.  Aware  of  the  foul  practice  when  too 
late,  and  feeling  the  approach  of  death,  she,  in  her  last 
agonies,  gave  utterance  to  a  prayer  to  the  following  effect : — 
"  That  as  her  entertainers,  the  ladies  of  Liddisdale,  had  per- 
secuted her  to  the  death  for  being  beloved,  so  might  neither 
they  nor  their  successors,  down  to  the  most  distant  genera- 
tions, ever  be  beloved  ;  might  they  be  doomed  to  live  and 
die  single  and  solitary,  desolate  and  despised ;  otherwise,  in 
the  event  of  marriage,  might  they  be  doomed  to  be  still 
more  miserable."  Such  in  substance  was  the  poor  murdered 
girl's  dying  prayer,  as  it  has  been  transmitted  down  under 


237 

haugh,  about  eighty  years  ago.  A  small  pile  of 
stones  at  the  end  of  the  new  residence  of  the  pre- 
sent proprietor,  William  Keir,  now  alone  marks  the 
spot.  According  to  those  who  had  seen  the  tower, 
it  was  surrounded  with  battlements,  which  formed 
a  pleasant  promenade,  and  showing  a  prospect  of 
the  beautiful  and  level  haugh  called  Copshawholm, 
on  which  the  village  of  new  Castleton  is  now  built, 
which,  at  that  time,  was  a  part  of  the  farm  of 
Park. 

Copshaw  tower  stood  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  exactly  opposite  to  Whithaugh,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  the  plantation  where  the  Langholm  road 
turns  to  the  north.  It  was  the  residence  of  the 
famous  freebooter  Johnnie  Elliot,  who  wounded 


the  name  of  "Kid's  Curse."  The  belief  in  its  virtual  po- 
tency was  long  formerly  held  as  part  of  the  popular  creed, 
and  is  perhaps  not  even  yet  altogether  extinct.  An  old 
gentleman,  himself  an  Elliot,  (old  Willie  Elliot  the  lawyer, 
brother  to  the  laird  of  Whithaugh),  who  died  at  Castleton, 
not  more  than  twenty-five  years  ago,  seldom  heard  of  a  lady  of 
the  name  belonging  to  the  place  being  about  to  be  married 
without  expressing  himself  thus  :  "  Aye,  poor  thing,  nae 
doubt  she  expects  to  be  happy,  but  she  forgets  that  Helen 
Kid's  curse  is  clinging  to  her  and  her  kind  yet  even  to  this 
day."  Tradition  reports  nothing  more  about  Helen,  except 
that  her  son  lived  to  be  a  man,  and  was  the  progenitor  of 
the  Elliots  of  Stobs.  On  the  south  side  of  the  Liddel,  al- 
most directly  opposite  to  Saughtree  School-House,  there  is 
a  spot  on  the  green  brae  side,  which  still  bears  traces  of  a 
human  habitation.  It  is  known  by  the  name  of  Kid's  Wa's, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  the  ill-fated  Helen's  residence. 


238  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Bothwell,  which  was  the  cause  of  Queen  Mary 
visiting  him  in  Hermitage,  as  before  mentioned. 
Save  the  remains  of  old  peel-dykes  and  enclosures, 
of  what  is  now  the  village  common,  no  vestiges  of 
this  stronghold  of  the  Elliots  are  to  be  seen  at  the 
present  day,  Like  most  of  the  other  border 
towers,  when  the  moss-troopers  beat  their  swords 
to  pruning-hooks,  and  took  to  rearing  cattle  in- 
stead of  driving  them  from  their  neighbours,  the 
tower  of  Park  presented  a  ready-made  quarry  for 
hewn  stones,  and  they  were  accordingly  all  carried 
away  and  built  into  houses  or  stone  enclosures. 
A  worthy  Doctor  of  Laws,  who  now  resides  in  Edin- 
burgh, relates  that  when  the  village  of  Castleton 
was  begun  to  be  built  in  1793  by  Henry  Duke  of 
Buccleugh,  he,  the  doctor,  then  a  boy,  slept  with 
his  father  and  family  in  a  rude  hut  erected  within 
the  ruins  of  the  tower,  there  being  no  other  shelter 
till  they  found  time  to  build  a  temporary  cabin 
of  turf  and  wood.  One  of  the  stones  of  the  tower 
is  yet  to  be  seen  in  a  garden  wall  in  the  village. 
It  is  a  common  slit  hole,  with  a  circular  aperture 
beneath,  for  discharging  arrows  or  other  missiles. 
The  farm-house  of  Park  stood  about  the  middle  of 
the  street  now  leading  to  Langholm,  and  was  ten- 
anted, till  the  rise  of  the  village,  by  a  descendant 
of  the  famous  "  Johnnie." 

At  Syde,  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  which  is  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  kirk  hill,  on  the  right  baak  of  the 
Liddel,   below  the   ancient   burying-ground  and 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  239 

chapel  of  Ettleton,  stood  the  tower  of  the  ballad- 
famed  "  Jock  o'  the  Syde,"  as  it  is  called  on  the 
map.  A  solitary  ash  tree,  and  a  few  grass-grown 
mounds,  alone  mark  the  spot.  The  fortalice  be- 
longed to  the  Armstrongs. 

"  He  is  weil  kend,  Johne  of  the  Syde, 
A  greater  thief  did  never  ryde, 
He  never  tyris, 
For  to  brek  byris, 
Ower  muir  and  myris, 
Ower  gude  ane  guyde." 

A  little  to  the  west  of  the  last-mentioned  tower, 
and  in  a  ravine  of  a  small  burn  which  falls  into 
the  Tinnis,  are  yet  seen  the  vestiges  of  "  Pudding- 
burn  Ha'"  where  "  Dick  o'the  cow"  played  the  prank 
on  the  freebooting  Armstrongs,  by  stealing  back 
his  own  stolen  horse,  and  another  of  the  best  in 
the  stable,  after  cutting  the  hough  sinews  of  the 
rest,  to  prevent  pursuit,  which  was  called  "  tying 
them  wi'  St  Marys  knot."  This  he  effected  while 
the  Armstrongs  were  feasting  on  "  the  fool's  own 
cow."  There  is  still  a  corner  of  wall  standing,  of 
great  thickness  and  strength,  which  is  used  at  pre- 
sent as  a  sheep-fold. 

"  To  what  base  uses  may  we  come,  Horatio !  " 

Mangerton. — The  remains  of  this  tower  stand 
right  opposite  the  Syde,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 


240  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Lid  del,  and  at  the  foot  of  a  fine  level  haugh. 
The  walls  have  fallen  inwards,  and  present  only 
a  large  heap  of  rubbish,  covered  with  a  coating 
of  green  turf,  on  which  the  sheep  feed,  and  the 
harmless  lambs  sport  in  the  summer  evenings. 
Two  walls  facing  the  north  and  west,  about 
twelve  feet  in  the  highest  part,  still  attest  the  thick- 
ness and  strength  of  this  once  redoubted  border 
fort,  which  is  almost  the  sole  existing  representa- 
tive of  its  fallen  obliterated  companions.  The 
castle  seems  to  have  been  built  in  1583.  In  the 
wall  of  a  mill  considerably  higher  up  the  river, 
built  entirely  from  stones  taken  from  the  ruins,  was 
a  stone  bearing  the  shield  of  arms  of  the  Manger- 
tons,  with  the  initials  S.  A.  and  E.  E.  on  each  side. 
A  long  broadsword  was  carved  on  the  stone.  A 
few  years  ago  a  massy  bronze  key,  conjectured  to 
have  been  the  key  of  the  principal  entrance,  was 
found  at  the  foot  of  the  wall  by  a  man  employed 
in  removing  some  rubbish.  From  the  appearance 
this  tower  presents,  it  seems  to  have  been  burned 
down  and  the  stones  and  other  materials  to  have 
fallen  into  the  interior.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  if 
a  proper  search  were  made,  and  the  interior  of  the 
walls  cleared  of  rubbish,  some  interesting  relics 
would  be  found.  There  is  much  both  of  history 
and  tradition  connected  with  this  tower.  As  before 
mentioned,  the  lords  of  Mangerton  were  the  head 
of  the  Armstrong  clan,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
MS.  tract  referred  to  above,  and  by  a  reference  and 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  24  1 

comparison  with  the  ballads  of  "Johnnie  Armstrong" 
and  others  of  alike  class,  which  appear  to  have 
been  written  all  about  the  same  period,  viz.,  during 
the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and  James  I.  of  England, 
at  least,  the  incidents  referred  to  occurred  about 
that  era,  or  during  the  reign  of  James  V.  Front- 
ing downwards  on  Mangerton,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Liddel,  stands  the  Milhom  or  "  Manger- 
tons  Cross/'  before  alluded  to.  Near  this  tower,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  was  the  residence  of 
Sims  Thorns,  Greenha,  whose  name  is  often  seen  in 
the  English  warden's  roll  of  complaint,  which  stood 
between  the  Tinnis  and  Mereburn,  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  district  of  Liddisdale,  within  Koxburgh- 
shire.  Tradition  is  nearly  silent  as  to  the  dwellers 
in  this  tower.  It  is  not  shown  on  the  map  of  1590 
as  then  existing,  and  probably  it  was  not  built  till 
the  Borders  were  brought  under  subjection  to  the 
law.  It  was  too  near  the  English  border  to  be  a 
safe  residence. 

Near  the  source  of  the  Hermitage,  about  twomiles 
above  the  castle,  stood  Goranberry  Tower,  remains 
of  which  existed  till  within  the  last  thirty  years, 
when  they  were  demolished  to  build  farm- offices. 
The  tower  was  inhabited  by  a  family  of  Elliots, 
and,  tradition  relates,  was  haunted  by  a  familiar 
of  the  brownie  species  called  the  Coivie.  Like 
other  familiars  of  his  clan,  the  "Cowie"  is  reported 
to  have  taken  much  interest  in  having  the  work 
of  the  place  always  in  a  forward  state ;  as  at  one 
Q 


242  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

time  the  peats  would  have  been  got  in  ;  at  another, 
the  crop  would  have  been  cut  and  preserved ;  at 
another,  the  sheep  smeared  ;  and  so  on,  and  all  this 
between  night  and  day,  and  all  by  the  indefatig- 
able Cowie.  It  is  not  said  that  ever  the  Cowie 
was  actually  seen ;  he  was  only  heard.  Often  the  in- 
mates of  the  old  house  were  kept  awake  by  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Cowie ;  sometimes  heard  as  if  chopping 
wood,  sometimes  sawing  like  a  carpenter,  some- 
times grinding  the  quern  or  handmill,  sometimes 
spinning  or  reeling  yarn,  sometimes  at  one  em- 
ployment, and  sometimes  at  another.  What  is 
common  creates  no  surprise.  Next  morning  the 
lads  and  lassies  about  the  place  would  merely  re- 
mark to  one  another,  <c  Eh,  but  Cowie  has  had  a 
busy  night  1"  When  a  death  was  about  to  happen 
among  the  Elliots,  the  circumstance  was  always 
foretokened  by  the  Cowie,  by  his  weeping  and 
lamentations.  At  length,  it  befel  that  Adam 
Elliot  of  Groranberry,  the  last  of  his  family,  was 
perished  in  coming  from  a  Castleton  Martinmas 
hiring.  Adam  is  said  to  have  had  a  wicked  wife, 
who  always  prayed  for  "a  dark  night  and  a  toom 
saddle."  Her  prayer  would  appear  to  have  been 
heard.  On  the  hiring-night  in  question,  Adam's 
grey  nag  came  home  at  a  late  hour  without  his 
rider.  Next  morning  poor  Adam  was  found  sit- 
ting against  the  wall  of  Hermitage  Chapel  burying- 
ground,  with  his  cloak  about  him,  drenched,  and 
cold,  and  stiff.     He   had  fallen  from   his  horse 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  243 

while  fording  the  flooded  stream,  and  had  man- 
aged to  crawl  out  of  the  water  and  seat  himself  by 
the  kirk-yard  wall  only  to  perish.  During  the 
night  previous  to  this  event,  the  Cowie  had  been 
very  dismal  in  his  bewailings,  but  on  the  night  in 
question,  his  weeping  and  lamentations  were  to 
such  a  pitch  of  agony  as  to  be  inexpressibly  touch- 
ing. It  was  his  last  night,  however :  he  was  never 
heard  afterwards.  He  had  been  familiar  at  Goran- 
berry  for  generations,  but  now  the  last  of  the 
Goranberry  Elliots  was  gone,  and  the  Cowie  left 
also.* 

A  short  distance  below  Hermitage  Castle  stood 
Milsholm  Tower. 

Hartsgarth. — This  tower  was  situated  below 
Hermitage  Castle,  on  the  burn  of  that  name. 
Two  or  three  large  stones,  brought  from  its  site, 
may  still  be  seen  at  the  farm  of  Kedheugh.  They 
appear  to  have  been  lintels,  and  two  have  a  large 
square  notch  for  the  massive  bolt. 

At  Roan  there  was  also  a  peel-house,  which  stood 
on  the  eminence  in  front  of  the  modern  house. 


*  About  four  miles  to  the  west  from  Goranberry,  on  the 
head  of  Ewes,  is  the  ruined  chapel  of  Unthank,  with  its 
burying-ground.  Some  families  of  the  name  of  Elliot  still 
continue  to  bury  at  Unthank,  and  popular  belief  has  it  that 
when  a  male  of  the  Unthank  Elliots  is  about  to  die,  the 
event  is  always  foretokened  by  a  light  seen  in  the  ruined 
chapel  or  its  precints.  The  same  thing  is  told  of  the  Sin- 
clairs  of  Roslin. 


244  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

The  remains  are  no  longer  to  be  seen,  but  there  are 
people  living  who  recollect  them.  The  present 
house  of  Roan  was,  for  many  years  before  it  was 
modernised,  the  residence  of  the  chamberlain  of  his 
\lrace  of  Buccleuch,  before  he  removed  to  Lang- 
holm, where  he  now  resides.  In  making  altera- 
tions in  the  peel- house,  a  large  flat  slab  was  turned 
up  in  the  cellar,  which  was  found  to  contain  this 
inscription  on  the  underside,  which  has  hitherto 
been  a  puzzle : — 

"lam  set  here  baith  firm  and  dry, 
That  stoup  and  baup  may  in  me  lie ; 
Blame  me  not  though  you  be  cold, 
For  I  am  neither  in  house  nor  hold." 

The  abodes  of  the  clans  above  noticed  were  little 
castles,  built  generally  in  the  form  of  square 
towers,  with  thick  walls  and  small  windows.  The 
larger  houses  had  areas  or  yards  strongly  walled, 
defended  by  turrets  or  battlements,  within  which 
the  cattle  were  enclosed  during  the  night  or  on 
any  alarm.  In  many  of  the  smaller  houses,  the 
cow-house  and  stable  were  in  the  lower  apartment. 
Every  house  on  the  Borders  was  built  so  as  to  be 
defended  against  any  sudden  attack  by  a  party  of 
freebooters.  In  these  strongholds  the  chiefs  often 
bade  defiance  to  the  sheriff,  and  could  scarcely  be 
brought  to  obedience  by  a  regular  army.  On 
James  I.  ascending  the  English  throne,  he  ordered 
all  the  places  of  strength  on  the  Borders  to  be 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  245 

demolished,  except  the  habitations  of  nobles  and 
barons.  While  the  king  was  at  Berwick,  on  his 
way  to  his  new  kingdom,  he  instructed  Sir  Walter 
Selby  to  enter  Liddisdale  and  raze  to  the  founda- 
tions all  the  strongholds  therein.  Selby  made  a 
raid  into  the  district,  and  carried  out  almost  to  the 
letter  the  commands  of  the  king.  In  place  of  these 
towers  arose  farm-houses,  built  of  considerable 
height,  and  of  great  strength  of  walls.  But  as  the 
feeling  of  security  waxed  stronger  they  declined  in 
strength  of  architecture,  till  they  became  often 
mere  clay- built  cottages  thatched  with  straw. 
These  again  have  fast  disappeared,  so  that  there 
is  now  scarcely  a  form  of  the  last  century  type  to 
be  found.  So  great  is  the  change,  and  so  laudable 
the  exertions  of  the  proprietor,  the  Duke  of  Buc- 
cleuch,  that  in  a  few  years  even  the  old  thatch- 
covered  cottages  will  have  entirely  disappeared,  and 
clean  blue-slated  houses  will  be  seen  in  their  places. 
The  removal  of  these  old  familiar  places  of  resid- 
ence, not  less  than  the  draining  or  enclosing  of  the 
lands,  have  wrought  changes  in  the  external  aspects 
of  the  "  valley  of  Lydal,"  which  have  converted  it 
from  a  bleak  succession  of  moors  and  quaking 
bogs  into  the  beautiful  tempered  admixture  of 
moorland,  woodland,  pastoral  valley,  and  cultivated 
fields. 

Newcastleton. — The  ancient  village  of  Castle- 
ton  was  erected  by  the  followers  of  Ranulph  de 
Sules.     They  first  built  a  castle  or  fort,  and  then 


246  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  village  arose  under  the  shelter  of  the  castle. 
During  the  predatory  warfare  of  the  Border  the 
village  suffered  severely.  It  was  frequently  burned 
by  the  English  ;  and  at  the  present  time  its  situa- 
tion and  extent  are  not  exactly  known.  For  the 
accommodation  of  labourers  and  the  encouragement 
of  manufactures,  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  built  a 
New  Castleton  on  a  field  of  the  farm  of  Park,  of 
upwards  of  100  acres,  in  1793.  It  consists  of  two 
principal  streets,  bearing  the  names  of  the  two 
rivers  Liddel  and  Hermitage,  with  several  cross 
streets  at  right  angles.  There  is  a  square  called 
Douglas  Square  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  around 
which  the  buildings  consist  of  two  storeys.  Each 
house  cost  from  £35  to  £40  sterling.  To  each 
house  is  attached  a  good  garden.  The  feuars,  or 
rather  the  rentallers,  hold  of  the  Duke,  and  pay  a 
small  duty.  To  each  one-storeyed  house  the  rental  - 
ler  got  ten  acres  of  haugh  land  for  fourteen  years, 
at  a  moderate  rent,  and  right  to  a  cow's  grass  on 
the  common  ;  a  two-storeyed  house  got  double  allot- 
ment of  land  with  grass  for  two  cows.  While  the 
houses  are  held  by  a  good  title,  the  land  was,  after 
the  first  fourteen  years,  held  at  the  pleasure  of 
the  proprietor.  Houses  have,  however,  been  sold 
or  let  on  the  faith  that  the  land  went  with  the 
houses.  But  by  the  new  mode  of  valuing  land,  the 
proprietor,  while  only  receiving  £800,  was  called  to 
pay  a  tax  of  £1200.  The  consequence  of  this  was 
that  a  new  valuation  of  the  property  was  made,  and 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  247 

a  rise  of  30  per  cent,  on  the  tenements,  and  all  sub- 
let lands  were  required  to  be  resumed  by  the  original 
tenants.  While  the  owner  of  the  land  had  a  per- 
fect right  to  take  this  step,  and  nothing  else  could 
be  looked  for  under  the  circumstances,  it  is  hoped 
that  he  will  facilitate  the  improvement  of  the  town 
and  neighbourhood  by  granting  feus  for  building 
manufactories.  For  such  purposes  the  local  ad- 
vantages of  Newcastleton  are  very  great,  it  has 
water  power  to  any  extent  in  the  Liddel  and  other 
streams  which  gush  down  every  glen  from  never- 
failing  water-sheds.  It  stands  in  the  very  middle 
of  a  wool-growing  country ;  and  now,  since  a  rail- 
way runs  through  the  valley,  accommodation  is 
afforded  to  every  part  of  the  kingdom.  I  hope  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  banks  of  the  Lid- 
del  and  other  streams  will  be  studded  with  manu- 
factories giving  employment  and  bread  to  the  whole 
of  the  industrious  population  of  the  district. 

In  the  town  is  a  Public  School,  a  Dissenting 
Meeting-House,  a  Free  Church,  two  Public  Sub- 
scription Libraries,  and  a  Friendly  Society.  The 
present  church  of  the  parish  was  built  in  1808,  not 
far  from  the  site  of  the  old  church.  A  church 
existed  here  at  an  early  period,  said  to  have  been 
dedicated  to  St  Martin,  probably  as  early  as  the 
middle  of  the  twelfth  century.  It  belonged  to  the 
canons  of  Jedburgh,  and  remained  in  their  hands 
till  the  Keformation.  The  small  parish  of  Ettleton, 
united  to  Castleton  in  1573,  comprehended,  it  is 


248  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

thought,  the  territory  lying  below  the  junction  of 
the  Liddel  and  Hermitage.  The  Wheel  Church 
stood  near  the  Peel  Fell,  at  the  source  of  the  Liddel, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Wheelcauseway.  The 
writer  of  the  Old  Statistical  Account  says  it  has 
been  large  and  of  excellent  masonry,  and  many 
gravestones  appeared  in  the  graveyard.  The  only 
remains  of  this  ancient  church  now  to  be  seen  are 
a  few  stones  in  the  dyke  of  a  sheep-fold  near  the 
place  where  it  stood.  After  the  sack  of  Berwick 
in  1296,  Edward  I.  performed  a  pilgrimage  to  St 
Ninian  s  shrine  in  Galloway,  and  lodged  two  nights 
here,  one  night  in  going  and  one  night  in  return- 
ing. It  is  difficult,  at  the  present  day,  even  to  ima- 
gine where  the  worshippers  in  this  church  lived. 
At  Dinlabyre,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Liddel,  there 
was  formerly  a  chapel  and  its  graveyard.  The 
lords  of  Hermitage  had  their  chapel  near  the  cas- 
tle, with  its  cemetery.*  Another  chapel  existed  at 
Chapelknowe,  on  the  borders  of  Canonby. 

The  valley  of  Liddel  seems  to  have  been  culti- 
vated at  a  very  early  period,  as  the  furrows  and 
ridges  are  evident  to  this  day.  "  About  the  middle 
of  the  hills,"  says  Mr  Arkle,  "  on  each  side  of  the 
river  Liddel,  a  deep  ditch  or  a  strong  wall  appears 
to  have  been  drawn  almost  the  whole  length  of  the 
country,  beneath  which  lay  the  arable  ground  where 
the  old  furrows  and  ridges  appear,  and  all  above 
was  either  for  cattle  or  common.f 

*  Vol.  i.  p.  177.  f  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  xvi. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  249 

In  the  end  of  last  century  the  eagle  frequently 
visited  Liddisdale.  About  1792  "asa  shepherd 
was  going  his  round  on  the  farm  of  Roughlee,  he 
saw  an  eagle  arriving  over  the  Hermitage  Hill 
with  something  bulky  in  its  talons.  Struck  with 
the  novelty  of  the  sight,  he  kept  his  eye  upon  the  bird, 
and  saw  him  sit  down  at  a  little  distance.  He  ran 
to  the  spot,  where  the  eagle  had  disengaged  from 
his  talons  a  fine  lamb,  and  was  preparing  to  tear 
it  to  pieces,  which  the  man  rescued  and  carried 
home.  At  that  instant  a  medical  gentleman  was 
visiting  a  patient  in  the  shepherd's  family.  He 
examined  the  lamb,  and  found  it  a  fine  male,  the 
skin  of  the  shoulder  torn,  but  the  bone  had  pre- 
vented the  talons  from  injuring  the  vital  parts. 
He  sewed  up  the  wound,  and  it  recovered  and  did 
well.  On  inquiry  it  was  found  that  the  shepherd 
of  Peel,  the  same  morning,  saw  an  eagle  seize  a 
lamb  of  his  flock,  and  fly  off  with  it  in  the  line  of 
direction  to  the  place  where  the  lamb  was  found. 
The  distance  from  the  one  place  to  the  other  is  not 
less  than  five  miles.* 

In  the  course  of  this  summer  (1863),  a  crane 
was  shot  at  Ruletownhead,  a  few  miles  distant 
from  the  place  where  the  eagle  had  seized  the 
lamb. 

There  were  no  roads  formed  in  Liddisdale  till 
about  1780.  For  sixteen  miles  of  the  valley  of 
Liddel  the  Watergate  was  the   only  road,    and 

*  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  xvi.  p.  77. 


250  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

which  the  traveller  had  to  cross  and  recross  at  least 
twenty-four  times  in  that  distance.  The  public 
owe  the  roads  at  present  existing  to  Mr  Oliver  of 
Dinlabyre,  the  father  of  the  present  Sheriff  of  Kox- 
burghshire,  and  Mr  Elliot  of  Whithaugh.  Every 
article  was  carried  on  horseback  through  deep  and 
broken  bogs  and  mosses.  Before  1792  there  was 
not  a  bridge  on  the  rivers  Liddel  and  .Hermitage 
in  a  course  of  twenty-six  miles.  Now  excellent 
roads  stretch  along  the  banks  of  both  rivers,  with 
substantial  bridges  wherever  necessary.  Instead 
of  a  pack-horse  floundering  in  the  moss  with  his 
burden,  and  taking  fully  a  day  to  travel  to  Hawick, 
a  railway  traverses  the  district  from  the  Teviot  to 
the  Liddel,  and  along  the  valley  on  its  way  to  the 
Sol  way,  while  another  railway  ascends  the  Liddel 
to  near  its  source,  passing  into  England  through 
the  bogs  of  Dead  water. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  district  were  nearly  all 
freebooters,  which  was  not  considered  a  term  of 
reproach  by  the  borderers,  "  who,  during  the  open 
wars  between  the  two  countries,  combined  with 
their  personal  views  of  plunder  something  like  a 
spirit  of  patriotism.  At  other  times  they  became 
dangerous  to  both  parties,  though  generally  pro- 
fessing hostility  only  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
opposite  territory.  Finally,  when  the  two  govern- 
ments agreed  to  measures  of  mutual  advantage  for 
the  suppression  of  border  depredations,  an  irregular 
system  of  conventional  justice  arose,  which  itself 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  251 

was  not  unfrequently  the  source  of  fresh  dispute 
and  bloodshed."  It  was  near  the  end  of  the  thir- 
teenth century  that  the  border  laws  were  enacted 
to  curb  the  licentious  spirits  to  whom  devastation 
was  pastime,  and  pillage  and  murder  accessories  to 
happiness.  Lord  Wardens  were  appointed  on  each 
side  of  the  Borders,  with  extensive  jurisdictions  in 
all  matters  connected  with  keeping  the  peace  of  the 
two  kingdoms.  The  warden  was  commander-in- 
chief  within  his  bounds,  and  could  call  out  all  men 
of  arms  and  those  liable  in  border  service ;  he 
appointed  watchmen  to  fire  the  beacons  on  the 
approach  of  an  enemy  ;  he  had  authority  to  conclude 
a  peace,  to  appoint  deputies,  and  other  officers. 
As  a  civil  magistrate  he  could  enquire  into  all 
breaches  of  the  border  laws,  to  hold  courts  for  the 
trial  of  all  matters  of  dispute  between  the  people 
of  both  kingdoms,  and  to  redress  all  grievances 
according  to  law.  By  the  regulations  of  the  Border, 
a  thief  might  be  pursued  into  the  opposite  realm 
within  six  days,  and  the  chase  carried  on  hot-trod 
with  hounds  and  horn,  with  hue  and  cry,  in  which 
pursuits  receivers  and  rescuers  of  the  fugitive  were 
equally  punishable  with  the  principal.  For  follow- 
ing the  moss-troopers  through  mosses  and  bogs 
that  were  not  passable  but  by  those  who  were 
acquainted  with  the  various  intricate  bye-paths 
and  turnings,  bloodhounds  were  used.  These 
dogs  were  stationed  along  the  Borders,  and  were 
kept  at  the  charge  of  the  inhabitants.     Although 


252  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

they  were  mostly  used  on  the  middle  and  west 
marches,  yet  the  names  of  places  along  the  line  of 
march  show  that  they  had  been  stationed  at  con- 
venient places  between  the  German  Ocean  and  the 
Solway.  One  of  the  dogs  was  kept  at  Liddel's 
strength  so  late  as  1616.  At  this  time  they  were 
stationed  in  considerable  numbers,  in  consequence 
"  of  the  increase  of  stealths  daily  growing  both  in 
deed  and  reporte  on  the  borders." 

In  the  month  of  July  1531,  the  state  of  the  Bor- 
ders was  such  that  King  James  V.  considered  it 
necessary  to  raise  a  large  army  to  execute  justice 
on  the  freebooters,  and  to  bind  down  the  barons  to 
keep  good  rule  within  their  bounds ;  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  carried  out  his  purpose  gave  rise 
to  the  proverb  that  he  "  made  the  rasch  bus  Jceip 
the  cow."  According  to  "  Lindesay  of  Pitscottie" 
the  king  charged  all  the  earls,  lords,  barons,  free- 
holders, and  gentlemen  to  compear  at  Edinburgh, 
with  a  month's  victuals,  to  pass  with  him  to 
"  daunton  "  the  thieves  of  Teviotdale  and  Anan- 
dale.  All  the  gentlemen  that  had  dogs  that  were 
good,  were  desired  to  bring  them  to  hunt  in  the 
said  bounds,  which  the  noblemen  of  the  Highlands 
did,  such  as  the  Earls  of  Huntly,  Argyle,  and 
Athol,  who  brought  their  deerhounds  with  them, 
and  hunted  with  the  king.  These  lords,  with 
many  other  lords  and  gentlemen,  to  the  number  of 
12,000,  assembled  at  Edinburgh,  and  thereafter 
went  with  the  king  to  Meggatland,  where  they 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  253 

killed  360  deer  *  From  this  place  the  king  passed 
on  with  great  expedition  to  the  head  of  Teviot, 
at  a  place  called  Carlenrig,  where  he  encamped. 
At  this  time  lived  Johnnie  Armstrong,  the  brother 
of  the  chief  of  the  clan,  at  Gilnockie  tower,  near 
Langholm,  a  man  of  great  renown  on  the  Borders. 
He  is  said  never  to  have  molested  a  Scotsman,  but 
from  the  Borders  to  Newcastle  there  was  not  one, 
of  whatsoever  degree,  that  did  not  pay  him  tribute. 
Lord  Maxwell,  who  greatly  feared  him,  was 
anxious  for  his  destruction.  By  some  means  or 
other  Johnnie  was  enticed  to  meet  the  king,  ac- 
companied with  fifty  horsemen  unarmed.  While 
passing  to  the  camp,  he  was  intercepted  by  an  am- 
bush, placed  no  doubt  by  the  directions  of  Lord 
Maxwell,  the  warden,  and  carried  before  the  king 
as  if  he  had  been  apprehended  by  them  against  his 
will.  When  he  entered  in  before  the  king,  he  did 
so  reverently,  with  his  men  richly  apparelled,  trust- 


*  In  the  previous  summer,  William  Cockburn  of  Hender- 
land,  and  Adam  Scott  of  Tushielaw,  called  "  King  of 
Thieves,"  were  accused  of  theft,  reset,  and  maintaining  of 
thieves,  slaughter,  and  other  crimes ;  convicted  thereof,  and 
beheaded,  and  their  heads  fixed  on  the  Tolbooth  of  Edin- 
burgh. Almost  every  writer,  in  giving  an  account  of  the 
death  of  these  men,  state  that  they  were  executed  by  the 
king,  in  front  of  their  own  houses,  in  a  raid  made  into  the 
district,  whereas  the  truth  is  that  they  were  both  tried  be- 
fore the  High  Court,  at  Edinburgh,  in  the  month  of  May 
1530. — PitcairrCs  Criminal  Trials^  vol.  i.  part  i.  pp.  144-5. 


254  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

ing  that  in  respect  he  had  appeared  willingly,  he 
would  receive  the  more  favour.  But  when  the 
king  saw  him  and  his  men  so  gorgeous  in  their 
apparel,  he  turned  about  his  face,  and  ordered  him 
out  of  his  presence,  saying,  "What  wants  yon  knave 
that  a  king  should  hear?"  When  Armstrong  per- 
ceived that  the  king  kindled  in  a  fury  against  him, 
and  had  no  hope  of  his  life,  notwithstanding  of  the 
many  great  offers  he  made  to  the  king,  such  as 
that  he  would  sustain  himself  with  forty  gentle- 
men, ever  ready  to  wait  on  his  majesty's  service, 
and  never  take  a  penny  of  Scotland  nor  a  Scots 
man  ;  that  there  was  not  one  subject  in  England, 
duke,  earl,  lord,  or  baron,  but  within  a  certain  day 
he  should  bring  to  his  majesty,  living  or  dead, — 
at  last,  seeing  no  hope  of  the  king's  favour  to  him, 
said  proudly,  "  I  am  but  a  fool  to  seek  grace  from 
a  graceless  face  !  but  had  I  known,  sir,  that  you 
would  have  taken  my  life  this  day,  I  would  have 
lived  upon  the  borders  in  spite  of  King  Henry 
and  you  both ;  for  I  know  King  Henry  would 
down- weigh  my  best  horse  in  gold  to  know  that  I 
was  condemned  to  die  this  day."  He  was  hanged 
with  forty-eight  of  his  men  on  trees  which  grew 
near  to  the  Chapel  of  Carlenrig,  which  stood  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Teviot,  near  the  road  leading 
to  the  new  manse  of  Teviothead.  Their  bodies 
were  interred  in  the  graveyard  of  the  chapel. 
The  country  people  believed  that  to  manifest  the 
injustice  of  the  sentence,  the  trees  on  which  Arm- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  255 

strong  and  his  men  were  hanged  withered  away. 
George  Armstrong,  the  brother  of  Johnnie,  was 
pardoned,  and  gave  information  as  to  the  rest  of 
the  clans,  who,  says  Bishop  Lesley,  "  were  in  pro- 
cess of  time  apprehended  by  the  king,  and  punished 
according  to  their  deserts/'  The  people  of  Lid- 
disdale,  refusing  to  give  hostages  for  their  good 
behaviour,  passed  into  England  "  bag  and  bag- 
gage," and  made  daily  incursions  into  Scotland, 
pillaging  the  country  without  mercy,  in  revenge  of 
Armstrong's  death. 

On  the  eighth  of  the  same  month,  the  king,  by 
letter  under  his  own  hand,  made  to  Lord  Maxwell, 
his  heirs  and  assigns,  a  gift  of  all  the  goods,  herit- 
able and  moveable,  "  which  pertained  to  the  de- 
ceased John  Armstrong,  brother  to  Thomas  Arm- 
strong of  Mangerton,  and  now  pertaining  to  our 
sovereign  lord  by  reason  of  escheat  through  justi- 
fying of  the  said  Johnnie  to  the  death,  for  theft 
committed  by  him."  The  letter  is  dated  at  Priest- 
haugh. 

Although  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  Arm- 
strong and  his  men  were  basely  betrayed  and  put 
to  death  without  form  of  trial,  the  disjointed  state 
of  society  on  the  Borders  was  such  as  to  call  for 
the  strongest  coercive  measures.  The  most  law- 
less excesses  were  commited  almost  with  impunity, 
not  only  by  "  broken  men,"  but  by  persons  of  good 
family.  The  Earl  of  Angus  was  in  open  revolt, 
the  Earl  of  Bothwell  convicted  for  maintaining 


256  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Henderland  and  Tushielaw,  and  other  crimes,  and 
banished.  The  Lords  Maxwell  and  Hume,  the 
lairds  of  Buccleuch,  Fernieherst,  Polwarth,  John- 
stone, Mark  Ker,  chiefs  of  the  broken  men  in  the 
Borders,  and  all  the  men  of  substance  in  the  Merse 
and  Teviotdale,  were  convicted  by  assizes,  and  put 
in  ward.  Twenty-one  of  the  landed  men  of  Kox- 
burghshire  found  surety  to  enter  before  the  Justice 
to  underlye  the  law  for  all  crimes  imputed  to 
them,  and  for  which  they  submitted  themselves  to 
the  King's  will. 

The  refuge  of  the  clans  and  broken  men  in  times 
of  danger  was  the  Tarras  Moss,  through  which  a 
rivulet  of  that  name  flows.  In  1558,  in  this  re- 
treat the  Armstrongs  defied  the  Earl  of  Douglas. 
In  1598,  Sir  Kobert  Carey,  who  was  warden  of  the 
west  marches,  entered  the  wastes,  to  abate,  as  he 
says,  the  pride  of  these  outlaws,  who  had  entered 
England  and  destroyed  Haltwhistle.  He  built  a 
fort  on  Careby  Hill,  and  within  it  cabins  to  lie  in. 
Here  he  and  his  men  remained  from  June  till  the 
end  of  August.  On  his  approach  the  outlaws  fled 
from  their  houses,  and  betook  them  "  to  a  large 
and  great  forest,  which  was  called  the  Tarras,"  of 
great  strength,  and  surrounded  with  bogs  and  marsh 
grounds,  and  thick  bushes  and  shrubs,  fearing  no 
person  within  that  retreat.  From  this  secure 
place  they  sent  Sir  Kobert  word  that  he  might 
stay  where  he  was  encamped  as  long  as  the  wea- 
ther would  let  him,  and  as  for  them  they  would 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  257 

stay  in  Tarras  till  he  was  weary.  Sir  Kobert 
Carey,  by  means  of  a  traitor,  sent  150  men  to  the 
north  side  of  the  Tarras,  in  Scotland,  who  divided 
themselves  into  three  parts,  and  took  up  the  three 
passages  into  Scotland,  of  which  the  outlaws  thought 
themselves  secure  in  case  of  an  invasion  from 
England.  They  had  scouts  on  the  English  side 
(not  dreaming  of  being  attacked  on  the  Scotch 
side),  who,  on  the  forces  marching  from  the  fort, 
gave  the  alarm  to  the  outlaws,  who  thought  they 
could  retreat  when  necessary  by  the  passages  to 
Scotland.  Falling  into  the  ambush,  five  of  them 
were  taken,  and  the  remainder  retired  into  the 
thick  woods  and  bogs,  where  the  English  durst  not 
follow  them.  The  five  prisoners  taken  were  of  so 
much  value,  that  Carey  imposed  such  conditions 
on  the  outlaws  that  he  was  never  afterwards  trou- 
bled with  them.  This  inroad  was  called  "  Carey's 
Raid/'  Tradition  relates,  that  while  he  was  lying 
in  the  fort,  the  outlaws  sent  a  party  into  England 
and  harried  the  warden's  lands,  and  on  their  return 
sent  him  one  of  his  own  cows,  telling  him  that 
fearing  he  was  short  of  provisions  they  had  sent 
him  some  English  beef.  The  last  raid  into  Lid- 
disdale  was  made  by  Sir  Walter  Selby,  who  razed, 
as  before  stated,  most  of  the  strongholds  on  the 
Liddel,  and  several  of  the  principal  men  were  taken 
prisoners  and  executed  at  Carlisle.  The  last  of 
the  reivers,  Willie  of  Westburnflat,  and  his  com- 

R 


258  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

p  anions,  were  tried  at  Selkirk  for  stealing  cattle 
in  Teviotdale,  found  guilty,  and  executed. 

In  1569,  a  bond  was  entered  into  by  the  barons, 
landed  men,  gentlemen  inhabitants  of  the  counties 
of  Berwick,  Roxburgh,  Selkirk,  and  Peebles,  and  the 
provosts  and  bailies  within  the  burghs  and  towns 
within  the  bounds,  in  which  they  professed  them- 
selves to  be  enemies  to  all  thieves  inhabitants  of 
the  country  of  Liddisdale,  Eskdale,  and  Annan- 
dale,  and  obliging  themselves  not  to  reset,  supply, 
or  intercommune  with  any  of  said  thieves,  their 
wives,  bairns,  or  servants,  or  give  them  meat  or 
drink,  or  suffer  any  meat  or  drink  or  victuals  to 
be  brought,  had,  or  carried  to  them,  or  suffer 
them  to  resort  to  markets  through  their  bounds, 
nor  permit  them,  their  wives,  or  bairns  to  dwell,  re- 
main, or  abide,  or  to  pasture  their  goods  on  any 
lands  out  with  Liddesdale. 

In  June  1605  Johnnie  Elliot  of  Copshaw  was 
indicted  for  having,  with  his  accomplices,  to  the 
number  of  100  persons,  broken  men  of  the  bor- 
ders of  England  and  Scotland,  in  the  month  of 
September  1603,  gone  openly  in  the  day-time  to  the 
lands  of  Wauchope,  and  stolen  80  cows  and  oxen, 
100  sheep,  and  12  horses.  After  trial  they  were 
acquitted.  In  1607  Johnnie  Elliot  of  Copshaw 
was  charged  before  the  Justice  Court  with  having, 
along  with  Martins  Hob,  John  Armstrong,  called 
"  Lardis  John,"  with  their  accomplices,  and  convo- 
cation of  the  whole  clans  of  the  Armstrongs,  Elliots, 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC  259 

Battisons,  Grahams,  and  remanent  clans  on  both 
sides  of  the  border,  all  common  thieves,  outlaws, 
and  broken  men,  to  the  number  of  300  persons, 
horse  and  foot,  gone  to  the  place  of  Torwood- 
lee,  in  December  1568,  and  then,  under  silence 
and  cloud  of  night,  with  fore-hammers  and  beams, 
"  dang  up  the  yetties"  of  the  said  place,  and  by 
force  and  violence  entered  within  the  same,  and 
took  the  said  deceased  George  Hop-Pringle  forth 
of  his  bed,  and  conveyed  him  away  as  captive  and 
prisoner  with  them  to  Scaldeneise,  within  the 
sheriffdom  of  Selkirk,  and  murdered  him,  and 
"  syclike."  At  the  same  time  the  said  Johnnie 
Elliot  and  remanent  persons  broke  up  the  whole 
chests,  coffers,  and  lockfast  place  within  the  said 
houses,  and  took  away  with  them  £1000  of  gold 
arid  money  from  the  said  George  Hop-Pringle, 
three  silver  pieces  weighing  lour  score  ounces 
of  silver,  at  40s.  the  ounce ;  two  dozen  of  silver 
spoons,  each  spoon  weighing  two  ounces  of  silver, 
at  40s.  the  ounce ;  together  with  the  hail  bedding, 
napery,  clothing,  "  abuilsiements,"  insight,  and 
plenishing  within  the  place ;  with  the  sum  of  5000 
merks,  and  seventeen  horses  from  the  stable  thereof, 
at  the  price  overhead  of  £100  each.  Johnnie 
failed  to  appear,  and  the  Justices  decerned  and 
ordained  William  Elliot  of  Fallinasch,  cautioner 
and  surety  for  the  entry  of  the  said  Johnnie  Elliot, 
to  be  amerciated  in  the  sum  of  500  merks,  and 
Johnnie  was  denounced  rebel  and  put  to  the  horn, 


260  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

and  all  his  goods  escheated.  In  the  same  year, 
George  Henderson  of  Winnington  was  charged 
with  having  gone,  with  his  accomplices,  two  times 
in  the  year  1605  to  a  wood  called  Birkwood, 
belonging  to  Kobert  Elliot  of  Kedheugh,  and  cut 
down  and  carried  away  at  each  time  100  large 
grown  trees,  300  full  grown  allars,  300  large  hazel 
trees,  with  400  great  saugh  trees.  The  assize,  by 
the  mouth  of  John  Gladstones  of  Winningtonlaw, 
acquitted  the  prisoner. 

A  minute  in  the  books  of  the  kirk-session,  under 
date  16th  January  1649,  bears,  that  the  English 
army,  commanded  by  Colonels  Bright  and  Pride, 
and  under  the  conduct  of  General  Cromwell,  on 
their  return  to  England,  did  lie  at  the  Kirk  of 
Castleton  several  nights,  in  which  time  they  broke 
down  and  burned  the  communion  tables  and  the 
seats  of  the  kirk,  and  at  their  removing  carried 
away  the  minister's  books,  to  the  value  of  lOOOmerks, 
and  also  the  books  of  session,  with  which  they 
lighted  their  tobacco  pipes,  the  baptism,  marriage, 
and  examination  rolls  from  October  1612  to  Septem- 
ber 1648,  all  which  were  lost  and  destroyed.  In 
1745  the  rebel  army  passed  down  the  valley  of 
Liddel.  The  army  entered  Liddisdale  by  the 
Knote  of  the  Gate  at  the  head  of  the  river,  on  its 
march  from  Jedburgh.  Eobert  Jardine,  a  shep- 
herd who  was  tending  his  flock  on  the  sources  of 
the  river,  described  the  Highlanders  as  marching 
without  any  order  as  they  came  in  sight  in  the 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  261 

weather  gleam,  spreading  themselves  over  the  vale, 
carrying  off  sheep  and  cattle,  attacking  and  robbing 
every  unfortunate  countryman  that  fell  in  their  way. 
Three  of  them  seized  Jardine  with  the  intention  of 
robbing  him,  but  fortunately  for  him,  he  had  a  very 
small  sum  on  his  person,  and  even  that  he  contrived 
to  conceal.  At  Hudhouse  they  stole  some  sheep, 
and  boiled  them  in  an  iron  pot  used  for  containing 
tar  for  buisting  sheep.  One  of  their  number  died 
from  the  effects  of  the  tar,  and  a  sum  of  money  was 
given  to  Kingan  Armstrong,  the  shepherd,  for  linen 
to  bury  him  in.  After  the  army  left,  Kingan  gave 
the  body  decent  burial,  and  the  place  is  still  known 
as  the  "  Hielandmans  Grave."  On  the  first  night 
of  their  arrival,  the  greater  body,  along  with  their 
unfortunate  Prince,  slept  at  Larriston,  where  their 
presence  caused  no  small  alarm  among  the  natives, 
by  this  time  long  disused  to  the  alarms  of  war. 
Mr  Oliver,  the  resident  there,  not  wishing  to  meet 
the  Prince,  went  to  Willoughbog,  leaving  his  wife 
and  son,  the  father  of  the  present  Sheriff  of  Kox- 
burghshire,  to  receive  the  rebel  leader.  Mrs  Oliver 
was  possessed  of  great  courage  and  prudence,  and, 
making  a  merit  of  necessity,  entertained  the  Prince 
and  his  men  with  good  cheer.  While  the  Prince 
remained  at  the  house,  the  greater  part  of  his  men 
lay  during  the  night  encamped  on  the  greenrig 
between  Riccarton  and  Riccarton  Mill  in  the  open 
air,  wrapt  in  their  plaids.  The  celebrated  "  fight- 
ing" Charlie  Scott  of  Kirndean  was  employed  by 


262  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  Highlanders  to  assist  them  in  killing  the  sheep 
and  cattle  which  he  had  brought  them  for  sale, 
and,  on  his  leaving,  they  bestowed  on  him  a  guinea 
for  his  work.  This  sum  tempted  the  avarice  of 
some  of  the  men  who  saw  him  receive  it,  and  they 
accordingly  gave  chase  and  seized  him.  They  held 
a  large  horse-pistol  to  his  breast,  and  called  on  him 
to  deliver  up  his  money.  The  dauntless  heart  of 
Charlie  quailed  at  the  sight  of  the  pistol  (at  fisty- 
cuffs  he  would  have  been  more  than  a  match  for 
them),  and  reluctantly  yielded  up  his  gold.  A 
party  attacked  a  man  of  the  name  of  Armstrong  of 
Whithaugh  Mill,  but  with  him  they  met  a  different 
reception.  This  descendant  of  the  freebooters 
despised  their  threats,  knocked  the  pistol  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  party  who  pointed  it  at  him,  and  car- 
ried it  home,  where  long  after  it  was  shown  as  a 
relic  of  the  "  rebellion,"  and  a  trophy  of  the  prowess 
of  its  possessor.  The  hangings  of  the  bed  in  which 
the  Pretender  slept  at  Larriston  were  lately  in  the 
possession  of  an  old  woman,  Jardine,  whose  family 
lived  there  at  the  time.  On  the  side  of  the  Roan- 
fell  is  a  natural  hollow,  formed  apparently  by  a 
landslip,  and  altogether  invisible  from  a  distance 
to  the  eyes  of  a  stranger.  This  ravine,  it  is  said, 
was  filled  with  cattle  and  stock  of  every  description. 
Hither  also  had  all  the  more  timid  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  vale  carried  their  valuables.  This 
hiding-place  fortunately  was  not  discovered  by  the 
Highlanders.     Next  morning  the  Prince,  who  rode 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  263 

a  beautiful  black  horse,  resumed  his  march,  his 
men  following,  and  plundering  every  house  they 
came  to.  Horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  even  hens, 
were  alike  welcomed  by  the  Gaels  as  legitimate 
spuilzie.  At  the  Cleugh-head  they  carried  off  a 
grey  mare  belonging  to  the  farmer  there,  of  the 
breed  that  carried  Jock  o'  the  Syde  from  Newcastle 
jail.  This  being  too  good  a  beast  to  lose  without 
attempting  to  regain  it,  the  owner  followed  the 
army  till  he  saw  his  horse  sent  to  water,  ridden  by 
a  boy  ;  he  immediately  ran  up,  displaced  the  boy, 
and,  mounting  bare-backed,  was  soon  carried  to  his 
own  home.  The  Prince  only  slept  one  night  in  Lid- 
disdale.  The  next  night  he  remained  at  a  farm- 
place  called  the  Eeddings,  and  the  day  after  that 
he  entered  Carlisle  without  opposition.  It  is  said 
that  several  men,  moved  by  the  pleasant  scenery  of 
Canonby,  deserted  from  the  army  and  settled  there, 
where  Highland  names  still  abound.  Mrs  Jar- 
dine,  an  old  woman  still  alive,  relates  that  when 
she  lived  at  Mangerton,  an  old  woman  there  of  the 
name  of  Mackerkindale,  had  a  strong  box  filled 
with  parchment  title-deeds  for  a  place  called  Fan- 
talane,  which  parchments  were  given  to  the  tailors 
of  the  place  to  be  cut  up  into  measures. 

When  the  French  Emperor  threatened  to  invade 
the  land,  and  the  bailfires  were  kindled  by  mistake, 
the  Dalesmen  hastened  to  the  rendezvous,  and  in 
their  hurry  to  reach  it  swam  the  Liddel.  They 
assembled  in  two  hours,  although  many  of  their 


264  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

houses  were  six  or  seven  miles  distant,  and  at  break 
of  day  marched  into  the  town  of  Hawick,  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles  from  the  place  of  assembly,  to  the 
border  tune  of 

"  My  name  it  is  little  Jock  Elliot, 
Wha  dar  meddle  wi'  me, 
Wha  dar  meddle  \vi'  me." 

The  rulers  of  the  country  may  rest  with  perfect 
confidence  on  the  same  spirit  existing  at  this  day 
throughout  the  whole  border  land,  and  if  it  should 
happen  that  the  aid  of  the  men  of  Liddisdale  or 
Teviotdale  is  needed  to  defend  their  native  land, 
the  call  would  be  as  promptly  answered  as  it  was 
in  the  days  of  their  fathers. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  265 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OF   THE   REGALITY   OF   HAWICK. 

The  name  of  Hawick  is  descriptive  of  its  situa- 
tion in  a  hollow  of  the  mountains.  The  territory 
of  Hawick  seems  of  old  to  have  been  co-extensive 
with  the  parish  as  it  existed  before  the  erection  of 
Roberton  into  a  parish.  The  first  family  seen  in 
connection  with  the  territory  is  that  of  Lovel, 
which  is  said  to  have  come  from  Normandy  into 
England,  at  an  early  period.  One  of  the  family 
followed  David  the  Prince  into  Scotland,  and  ob- 
tained grants  of  land  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. The  family  seems  to  have  been  connected 
with  Thomas  de  Londonis  and  the  Sules.  On 
William  the  Lion  ascending  the  throne  in  1165, 
he  confirmed  a  grant  of  land  made  by  Margaret, 
the  wife  of  Thomas  of  London,  to  the  monks  of 
Jedburgh.  From  the  grant  being  made  with  the 
consent  of  Henry  Lovel,  her  son,  it  may  be  inferred 
that  she  had  been  previously  the  widow  of  Lovel. 
About  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century,  Henry  Lovel 
bestowed  upon  the   monks   of  St  Andrews  two 


266  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

oxgangs  of  land  in  Branxholm,  with  common  pas- 
ture. This  land  was  afterwards  exchanged  for 
two  oxgangs  of  land  which  lay  between  the  lands 
of  Adam  of  Wammis  and  the  lands  of  Wichop. 
This  grant  was  confirmed  by  Pope  Lucius  III., 
Gregory  VIII.,  Innocent  III.,  Honorious  III.,  and 
Innocent  IV.,  between  1183  and  1248.  Kichard 
Lovel,  who  made  this  excambion,  died  before 
Michaelmas  1264.  Sir  Kobert  Lovel,  called  Lupel- 
lus,  seems  to  have  succeeded  to  the  lordship  of 
Hawick,  as  he  appears  as  one  of  the  procurators 
of  King  Alexander  III. ,  in  negotiating  the  mar- 
riage of  his  daughter  with  the  King  of  Norway.* 
Maurice  Lovel,  the  parson  of  Little  Cavers,  and 
Agnes,  the  widow  of  Henry  Lovel,  were  amongst 
those  who  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I.  in  1296.f 
Next  year  Eichard  Lovel,  the  son  of  Hugh,  and 
the  said  Hugh,  William,  and  John,  took  the  oaths 
of  fealty  to  the  English  king.  The  whole  family 
seem  to  have  acknowledged  Edward  I.  as  their 
lawful  sovereign,  and  adhered  to  him  throughout 
the  wars  which  followed.  Kichard  was  married 
to  Muriel,  a  daughter  of  John  de  Sules,  and  the 
heiress  of  the  manor  of  Old  Koxburgh,  which  had 
been  held  by  Nicholas  de  Sules.  Edward  III.  re- 
quiring these  lands  for  the  defence  of  Koxburgh, 
granted  them  the  manors  of  Brehull  and  Silveston. 
James  Lovel,  as  heir  to  his  mother  Muriel,  gave 

*  Acta  Pari.  vol.  i.  p.  79.     f  Ragmans  Rolls,  pp.  164,  172. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  267 

up  to  the  English  king  these  two  manors,  and  re- 
gained possession  of  Old  Koxburgh.  King  Kobert 
Bruce  conferred  the  lands  on  Sir  Henry  de  Baliol, 
and  on  their  forfeiture  by  Baliol,  David  II.  granted 
them  to  Murray  of  Strathearn,  who  also  obtained 
the  whole  barony  of  Hawick.  On  David  being 
taken  captive  at  the  battle  of  Durham,  in  1346, 
the  lands  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  English 
sheriff.  The  Lovels  petitioned  the  English  king 
to  restore  the  lands  and  barony  of  Hawick,  in  which 
they  had  been  seised  of  old.  The  sheriff  was 
ordered  to  give  possession  to  the  Lovels,  if  the  terri- 
tory was  in  the  hands  of  the  king.  The  bravery  of 
"William  Douglas  delivered  Teviotdale  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  English.  It  would  appear  that  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century  the  lands 
passed  into  the  family  of  Douglas  of  Drumlanrig, 
one  of  the  illegitimate  sons  of  James  Douglas  who 
fell  at  Otterbum,  an  ancestor  of  the  family  of 
Queensberry.  The  probability  is,  that  on  Douglas 
recovering  Teviotdale,  he  obtained  possession  of  the 
whole  county,  and  held  it  as  overlord.  In  1412, 
James  I.,  while  resident  in  England,  granted  a 
holograph  charter  of  confirmation  to  Sir  William 
Douglas  of  Drumlanrig,  of  the  lands  of  Drumlan- 
rig, Hawick,  and  Selkirk,  in  whose  family  they  re- 
mained till  1510,  when  they  were  recognosced, 
owing  to  Douglas  having  alienated  the  greater 
portion  of  the  same  without  leave  or  confirmation 
of  the  king.     Next  year  the  king,  for  the  good  and 


268  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

gratuitous  services  performed  of  late  by  the  afore- 
said William,  created,  united,  and  incorporated 
all  and  whole  the  lands  and  barony  of  Hawick, 
viz.,  in  property,  the  town  of  Hawick,  with  the 
mill  of  the  same  ;  the  lands  of  East  Manys,  West 
Manys,  Crumhauch  and  Kirktown,  Manys  Flekkis, 
Murinese,  Kamsayclewis,  and  Braidlie  ;  and,  in 
tenandry,  the  lands  of  Howpaslet,  Chisholm, 
Quhithope,  Dridane,  Commonside,  Overharwood, 
Ernetschelis,  Tineside,  Carlinpule,  Nether har wood, 
Weyndislandis,  Easter  and  Wester  Heslihope, 
Longhaugh,  Laristoftes,  Kirkurd,  Hardwoodhill, 
Quhitehesters,  Fennyk,  Edgarstown,  Edgarstown- 
schelis,  Quhamys,  with  their  annexed  tenants, 
tenantries,  service  of  free  tenants,  advowsons,  and 
presentation  of  the  churches  and  chaplainries  of  the 
same,  with  their  pertinents,  lying  within  our  sheriff- 
dom of  Koxburgh,"  into  one  free  barony,  to  be 
called  in  all  time  coming  the  barony  of  Hawick, 
of  which  barony  the  manor  of  Hawick  should  be 
the  principal  messuage.  The  charter  also  declared 
that  "  seisines  to  betaken  by  the  said  William  and 
his  heirs  at  the  principal  messuage  should  be  suffi- 
cient, and  stand  for  all  and  whole  the  lands  of  the 
said  barony,  held  of  us  in  ward,  and  that  the  sei- 
sines to  be  taken  by  them  at  the  Moit  of  Hawick 
shall  be  sufficient  and  stand  for  all  and  whole  the 
lands  of  the  barony,  held  of  us  in  blencJi-ferme, 
without  any  other  particular  seisine  to  be  taken  at 
any  other  place  of  the  said  barony  in  time  coming." 


269 

The  king  also  quit  claimed  and  renounced  all  claim 
which  he  and  his  successors  had,  or  might  have,  in 
the  lands  or  their  pertinents,  or  in  any  part  of 
them,  to  the  said  William  Douglas  and  his  heirs 
for  ever.  The  lands  and  barony,  with  pertinents, 
and  the  town  of  Hawick,  with  the  liberties  and 
privileges  of  a  burgh  in  barony,  and  with  all  the 
clauses  necessary  to  the  creation  of  a  burgh  in 
barony,  were  by  the  charter  to  be  held  of  the  king, 
for  payment,  for  the  town  and  lands  of  Hawick 
with  their  pertinents,  of  one  arrow  on  the  feast  of 
the  assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  at  the 
said  principal  messuage  of  Hawick,  in  name  of 
blencJi-ferme,  if  demanded  only  ;  and  for  all  the 
other  lands  before  mentioned,  one  suit,  at  any  of 
the  three  head  courts  of  the  sheriffdom  of  Roxburgh, 
with  the  wards  and  reliefs  of  the  foresaid  lands  and 
marriage  fines  when  they  shall  occur.  The  king 
also  granted  to  the  said  William  and  his  heirs  power 
to  infeft  by  charters  and  seisines  all  the  free  tenants 
of  the  said  barony  of  Hawick  in  their  tenantries  as 
freely  and  in  the  same  manner  as  they  held  the 
same  before  the  forfeiture  was  incurred.  The  in- 
feftments  to  be  made  to  the  tenants  should  be  free 
of  loss  and  risks  of  forfeiture  or  recognoscing,  to 
the  said  William,  his  heirs,  or  his  tenants,  in  the 
enjoyment  of  their  tenantries,  and  of  as  much 
strength  and  effect  as  if  they  had  been  confirmed 
under  the  great  seal.  The  charter  was  given  un- 
der the  great  seal  at  Edinburgh  the  1 5th  day  of 


270  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

June  1511,  in  presence  of  a  number  of  famous 
witnesses.  Sir  William  Douglas  followed  his 
sovereign  to  the  disastrous  field  of  Flodden  in  1513, 
where  he  fell,  along  with  200  gallant  men  who  bore 
his  name.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  James 
Douglas,  who  granted  in  1537  a  charter  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Hawick,  for,  it  is  said,  their  distin- 
guished services  at  Flodden  ;  but  it  is  not  probable 
that  the  charter  was  granted  on  any  such  grounds, 
neither  is  there  any  reliable  authority  to  warrant 
the  belief  that  the  tenants  of  Hawick  followed  their 
lord  to  that  fatal  field.  The  charter  itself  affords 
evidence  that  it  was  not  granted  for  services  at 
Flodden,  but  a  renewal  of  a  previous  charter  which 
had  been  lost  "  through  the  inroads  of  the  English 
and  thieves  in  bypast  times  of  enmity  and  war/'  and 
that  no  prejudice  should  "  arise  to  the  said  tenants, 
but  in  respect  I  am  willing  rather  to  help  and  re- 
lieve them."  Such  are  the  grounds  stated  by  the 
baron  for  granting  the  charter,  and  honourable 
they  are  to  him.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  Hawick 
was  a  free  burgh  long  before  the  battle  of  Flodden, 
and  that  the  charter  of  1537  was  merely  a  copy  of 
a  lost  writ. 

From  Douglas  of  Drumlanrig  the  barony  of 
Hawick  passed  by  purchase  to  the  family  of  Scbtt 
in  1675,  who  still  continue  in  possession.* 

*  Mr  Wilson,  in  his  Memorials  of  Hawick,  saj'S  that  the 
barony  was  forfeited  by  Monmouth  ;  but  this  was  not  the 
case,  as  he  was  merely  a  liferenter,  the  estates  belonging  to 
his  wife. 


271 

The  principal  messuage  of  the  barony  is  the  tower 
now  occupied  as  a  hotel.  Part  of  the  ancient 
building  is  still  to  be  seen  on  the  side  next  the 
Slitrig.  It  was  long  occupied  by  a  lineal  descen- 
dant of  the  famed  Armstrong  of  Gilnockie,  whom 
the  king  basely  murdered.  The  Moit  or  Moot  re- 
ferred to  in  the  charter  is  to  the  west  of  the  church, 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Slitrig. 

Burgh  of  Hawick. — The  burgh  of  Hawick  is 
situated  at  a  place  where  the  Slitrig  joins  the 
Teviot.  The  natural  scenery  around  the  town  is 
highly  picturesque.  From  various  places  in  the 
neighbourhood  the  town  is  seen  to  advantage,  but 
the  view  generally  admired  by  strangers  is  from 
Easter  Martins  Hill.  This  fine  view  has  been 
engraved,  and  is  published  in  the  Annals  of  Haw- 
ick, by  the  late  James  Wilson,  town-clerk.  The 
town  makes  its  appearance  at  an  early  period,  and 
from  its  name  being  purely  Saxon,  leads  to  the 
belief  that  the  town  was  erected,  and  the  name 
imposed,  by  that  race  of  people.  Tradition  has  it 
that  there  existed  an  old  town  of  which  no  trace 
can  be  found ;  but  it  is  probable  that  there  never  were 
two  towns,  and  that  the  present  town  occupies  the 
site  of  the  early  town.  From  the  narrative  of  the 
charter  of  Drumlanrig,  quoted  in  the  charter  of 
confirmation,  it  is  clear  that  Hawick  had  been  of 
old  a  free  burgh,  though  the  date  of  erection  is  not 
ascertained.  It  may  have  been  a  burgh  in  the  clays 
of  the  Lovels,  although  it  is  more  likely  to  have 
been  raised  to  that  dignity  in  the  time  of  David  II. 


272         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

or  the  preceding  reign.  But  be  the  date  of  erection 
when  it  may,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  during 
the  days  of  the  first  barons  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  would  enjoy  their  houses  and  roods  of  land 
and  common-pasture  over  the  extensive  common  of 
the  territory,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  inhabi- 
tants of  other  towns  in  the  kingdom.  Such  rights 
would  be  continued  by  successive  barons,  without 
any  title  thereto,  till  the  day  when  the  small  terri- 
tory was  erected  into  a  burgh,  and  each  inhabitant 
obtained  a  title  to  his  house  and  land,  with  the 
privilege  of  common-pasture  and  other  easements 
in  the  territory  of  the  baron.  The  erection  of  the 
town  and  lands  into  a  burgh  of  barony,  did  not 
take  away  any  of  the  rights  the  inhabitants  had, 
but  rather  secured  to  them  all  their  previous  privi- 
leges. The  charter  contains  the  usual  clauses  in 
such  deeds.  The  inhabitants  of  the  monkish  towns 
of  the  country  obtained  the  same  kind  of  charter  to 
their  houses,  yards,  and  husbandlands,  with  com- 
mon-pasture, from  the  lay  baron  who  succeeded  the 
abbot,  though  not  erected  into  a  barony.  The 
abbey  tenants  held  their  lands  from  generation  to 
generation,  without  any  title  whatever  from  their 
kind  and  generous  landlords.  In  1545,  Mary,  the 
Queen,  confirmed  the  charter  by  James  Douglas  of 
Drumlanrig,  to  the  tenants  of  his  town  and  burgh 
of  Hawick.  Each  tenant  is  named  in  the  charter, 
with  the  number  of  particates*  which  he  was  pos- 

*  A  rood  of  land. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  273 

sessed  of,  the  whole  of  the  particates  lying  on  the 
south  and  north  sides  of  the  public  street  of  the 
town,  between  the  lands  called  the  Boortrees  on  the 
east,  and  the  common  vennel  at  Myreslawgreen  on  the 
west.  It  would  thus  appear  that  the  houses  fronted 
the  street,  and  that  the  particates  lay  behind. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  originally  each  per- 
son was  possessed  of  one  particate  only,  and  that 
at  the  time  the  charter  was  granted,  there  were  a 
number  of  persons  who  had  more  than  one  piece  of 
land,  to  which  they  had  obtained  right  by  succes- 
sion or  purchase.  To  the  particates  were  added 
the  common  haugh  and  common  moor  of  Hawick, 
lying  between  Burnford  on  the  east,  the  Troutlaw- 
ford  on  the  west,  and  the  syke  of  Wynton  moss  on 
the  south,  and  the  ditches  of  Goldlands  and  Fynnyk 
on  the  north  parts,  reserving  to  the  said  James 
Douglas,  his  heirs  and  assignees,  the  lands  lying  in 
his  said  town  on  the  southward  of  the  street  thereof, 
between  the  lands  of  John  Scot  on  the  east,  and  the 
lands  of  Kobert  Schort  on  the  west  parts.  At  the 
period  of  granting  the  charter,  the  town  appears  to 
have  consisted  of  110  houses,  exclusive  of  the  princi- 
pal messuage,  church,  and  mill.  The  said  lands  were 
to  be  held  and  kept  by  the  persons  mentioned  in 
the  charter,  their  heirs  and  assignees  respectively, 
of  the  granter  and  his  heirs,  in  feu  and  heritage, 
and  free  burgage  in  barony  as  formerly  for  ever,  by 
all  their  just  marches,  old  and  divided,  as  they  lie 
in  length  and  in  breadth,  with  houses,  buildings, 
s 


274         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

yards,  beams,  timber,  common  pasturage,  and  free 
entry  and  outgate,  with  liberties,  easements,  and  per- 
tinents of  the  same  whatsoever,  for  payment  by 
James  Blair,  his  heirs  and  assignees,  out  of  the 
same  yearly,  on  the  ground  of  his  half  partieate  to 
the  granter,  his  heirs  and  assignees,  of  one  penny 
of  the  usual  money  of  the  kingdom,  at  the  feast  of 
Whitsunday,  in  name  of  blench-ferme,  if  demanded, 
"as  also  finding  and  maintaining  one  lamp  a  pot 
of  oil  burning  before  the  great  altar  of  the  parish 
church  of  Hawick  in  time  of  high  mass  and  even- 
ing prayers,  on  all  holidays  throughout  the  year, 
in  honour  of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  souls  of  the  barons  of  Hawick, 
founders  of  the  said  lamp,  and  their  successors." 
Thomas  Connel,  Mr  John  Hepburn,  John  Plender- 
gaist,  William  Paisley,  George  Young,  James  Cess- 
ford,  Adam  Cessford,  John  Young,  and  William 
Cessford,  their  heirs  and  assignees,  paying  "the 
annual  duties  formerly  accustomed  and  due  by  them 
to  the  said  James  Blair,  his  heirs  and  assignees, 
conform  to  the  tenor  of  the  rights  made  and  granted 
by  him  formerly  to  them  thereupon."  The  rest  of 
the  persons  named  in  the  charter  paying  for  each 
partieate  five  pennies  money  foresaid,  at  the  feasts 
of  Whitsunday  and  Martinmas  in  winter,  by  equal 
portions,  upon  the  grounds  of  the  said  lands,  in 
name  of  annual  duty  or  burgage-ferme,  with  such 
services  as  other  inhabitants  and  tenants  of  free 
burghs  of  barony  within  the  kingdom  of  Scotland 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  275 

perform  to  their  lords  and  superiors,  "  with  power 
to  the  foresaid  persons,  their  heirs  and  assignees, 
burgesses  of  the  said  burgh  at  this  present  time, 
and  in  all  times  to  come,  of  creating  and  ordaining 
yearly  bailies  and  officers  necessary  therein  for  the 
government  of  that  burgh  ;  provided  always  that  it 
shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  said  persons,  their  heirs 
or  assignees,  to  ordain,  create,  or  institute  bailies 
or  other  officers  in  the  foresaid  burgh,  but  such 
only  as  reside  within  the  same."    Power  was  also 
given  by  the  granter  to  the  bailies  of  the  burgh 
and  their  successors  to  receive  resignations  of  the 
lands  within  the  burgh,  and  giving  seisins  of  the 
same,  as  shall  be  agreed  upon  between  the  parties. 
In  ratifying  the  said  charter,  the  Queen,  "for  the 
good,  faithful,  and  gratuitous  service  performed  to 
us  by  the  inhabitants  and  indwellers  of  the  foresaid 
town  and  burgh  of  Hawick,  and  for  divers  other 
causes,"  decerned  and  ordained  that  the  confirma- 
tion should  be  of  as  great  power,  strength,  force, 
and  effect  to  them,  their  heirs,  as  if  the  same  had 
been  given  and  granted  by  her  majesty.     An  in- 
strument of  sasine  was  taken  on  the  8th  March 
1558  in  favour  of  James  Scott,  on  a  resignation  by 
Alexander  Scott,  in  the  hands  of  Adam  Cessford, 
one  of  the  bailies  of  Hawick.*     Patrick  Cozar 
acted  as  notary. 

In  the  course  of  time  barons  arose  who  were 


Annals  of  Hawick,  p.  330. 


276  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

not  so  friendly  to  the  community  of  Hawick,  and 
sought  to  infringe  upon  their  rights  and  privileges  ; 
but  the  men  of  Hawick  seem  to  have  held  their 
own,  even  at  a  period  full  of  trouble.     In  1673, 
while   the   baron's  bailie,  officers,  and  tacksman, 
were  about  to  ride  the  fair  on  St  Jude's  day,  the 
bailies  of  the  burgh,  and  the  merchants,  traders, 
and  inhabitants,  to  the  number  of  200,  armed 
with  swords  and  other  weapons,  prevented  them 
from   setting   the  fair,    pulled  the  baron's  bailie 
from  his  horse,  and  imprisoned  the  tacksman  of 
the  customs.     For  these  acts  an  indictment  was 
preferred  against  the  bailies  and  others,  in  which 
they  were  also  charged  with  abusing  their  author- 
ity, and  making  "  statutes  and  ordinances,  inhibit- 
ing and  discharging  the  inhabitants,  under  great 
certification,  to   supply   and  intercommune  with 
any  of  our  lieges  against  whom  they  conceive  any 
prejudice,  and  particularly  discharges  those  inhabi- 
tants to  sell  them  meat  and  drink,  or  shoe  their 
horses,  or  any  other  tradesman  within  their  town 
to  work  to  the  pursuers,  thereby  imposing  on  the 
inhabitants."    As  also  "  the  said  pretended  bailies 
presumed  to  impose  stent  on  the  inhabitants,  and 
vassals  and  tenants  of  the  said  Earl  (Queensberry), 
and  thereby  impair  their  fortunes  and  estates,  at 
their  pleasure,  whereby  they,  the  said  pretended 
bailies,  are  guilty  of  the  crimes  of  riot,  convocation, 
and   wrongous   imprisonment,"  &c.     The  magis- 
trates defended  themselves  on  the  ground  that 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  277 

they  had  no  connection  with  the  riot,  which  took 
place  outwith  the  West  Port,  and  beyond  their 
jurisdiction  ;  that  the  tacksman  had  exceeded  his 
authority  by  exacting  excessive  custom,  and  abus- 
ing the  bailies,  which  fully  warranted  his  imprison- 
ment. His  lordship  of  Queensberry  does  not  seem 
to  have  obtained  the  end  for  which  the  proceed- 
ings were  instituted.* 

There  is  no  information  as  to  the  way  the  town 
was  governed  about  the  time  of  the  charter  above 
mentioned  being  confirmed,  but  in  an  action  be- 
tween the  burgesses  and  the  bailies  and  council 
before  the  Court  of  Session,  it  is  seen  that  the 
council  consisted  of  thirty-one  persons,  chosen  and 
elected  yearly  ;  that  the  bailies  and  council  made 
up  a  leet  of  six  persons,  out  of  which  two  bailies 
were  chosen  by  the  body  of  the  burgesses,  bearing 
scot  and  lot  within  the  burgh,  or  trading  and  re- 
siding within  it,  on  the  second  Friday  of  October, 
yearly ;  that  no  person  could  be  elected  for  more 
than  two  years  in  succession.  There  were  seven 
incorporations,  viz.,  Weavers,  Tailors,  Hammer- 
men, Skinners,  Fleshers,  Shoemakers,  and  Bakers, 
each  of  which  were  entitled,  upon  the  Thursday 
previous  to  the  second  Friday  of  October,  to  elect 
two  quartermasters  for  each  trade,  to  continue  in 
office  for  one  year,  and  that  no  person  could  be 

*  For  an  interesting  notice  of  this  matter  see  Wilson's 
Memorials  of  Hawick,  p.  122. 


278  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

elected  for  more  than  two  successive  years.     After 

the  election  of  the  bailies,  as  above  mentioned,  the 

fourteen   quartermasters  were  also  entitled  to  be 

admitted  councillors  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  in 

case  of  the  death  of  any  of  the  quartermasters,  it 

was  competent  to  the  incorporation  to  which  he 

belonged  to  elect  another  in  his  place  for  the 

remainder  of  the  year.     These  two  bailies  elected 

on  the  second  Friday  of  October  1781,  and  the 

council  then  in  being,  appointed  fifteen  councillors, 

who  continued  in  office  during  life,  or  until  legally 

removed.     The  court  also  declared  that  the  then 

bailies  might  be  elected  in   the  number  of  the 

fifteen   councillors,   and   that   when   any   of  the 

councillors  was   elected  a  bailie,  the  bailies  and 

the  remainining  councillors  might  elect  a  proper 

person  councillor,  to  serve  as  councillor  for  that 

year,  in  order  that  the  two   bailies  and  fifteen 

councillors  might  make  the  complete  number  of 

seventeen,  which,  with  the  fourteen  quartermasters, 

made  up  the  number  of  thirty- one.     Thirteen  was 

declared  a  quorum  of  the  council,  the  bailies  and 

councillors  always  making  seven  of  that  number, 

the  eldest  bailie,  and  in  absence  of  the  bailies, 

the  eldest  councillor,  to  preside,  who  was  entitled 

to  a  casting  vote.     Such  was  the  old  sett  of  the 

burgh,  certainly  the  closest  in  the  kingdom. 

In  1861  the  burgh  obtained  a  police  and  improve- 
ment Act,  in  which  the  old  limits  of  the  burgh  were 
extended  so  as  to  include  the  village  of  Wilton  on 


etc.  279 

the  northside  of  the  Teviot,  and  the  houses  in  the 
suburbs.  By  the  Act  the  number  of  council  is 
fixed  at  fifteen  persons,  and  the  magistracy  thereof 
to  consist  of  a  provost  or  chief  magistrate,  and  two 
bailies,  to  be  chosen,  as  well  as  a  treasurer,  from 
among  the  said  fifteen  persons,  and  seven  members 
a  quorum  of  the  council.  Every  person  is  entitled 
to  be  a  councillor  who  resides  in  the  town  and  is 
the  owner  of  heritable  subjects  within  the  burgh  of 
the  yearly  value  of  £10  sterling.  Such  also  is  the 
qualification  of  an  elector  within  the  burgh.  The 
election  of  councillors  is  on  the  first  Tuesday  of 
November,  and  on  the  third  lawful  day  after,  the 
magistrates  and  treasurer  are  elected.  Any  dis- 
pute arising  regarding  elections  to  be  settled  by 
the  sheriff.  The  town-clerk  is  elected  for  three 
years.  The  council  have  the  power  to  bring  into 
the  burgh  a  full  supply  of  water,  and  impose  rates ; 
but  no  person  shall  be  assessed  for  or  on  account  of 
any  of  the  purposes  of  lighting,  cleaning,  and  sup- 
ply of  water,  except  such  of  them  as  shall  be  ex- 
tended and  be  beneficial  to  such  houses  or  build- 
ings. In  case  of  any  dispute  in  relation  to  liability 
to  such  assessments,  or  the  benefit  derived  by  the 
person  so  assessed,  the  same  shall  be  heard  and  de- 
termined by  the  sheriff.  The  Act  is  a  clumsy  piece 
of  legislation. 

The  common  of  the  town  consisted  of  about  1219 
acres,  and  being  of  little  use  in  its  unenclosed  state, 
the  council,  in  1776,  resolved  to  let  a  part,  on  which 


280  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  raised  an  action  before  the 
Court  of  Session  to  have  it  declared  that  he,  as 
proprietor  of  certain  lands  adjoining  the  common, 
had   a  right  of  pasturage  thereon,  and  that  it 
ought  to  be  divided.     The  process  was  referred  to 
the  Lord  Advocate  Montgomery,  who  held  that  his 
grace  and  other  heritors  had  a  right  to  the  com- 
mon, and  gave  forth  a  decree  accordingly.     By  the 
award  the   Duke  of   Buccleuch  got  329  acres ; 
Kobert  Oliver  of  Burnflat,  10  acres ;  John  Laing 
of  Flex,  6  acres ;  Thomas  Turnbull  of  Fenwick, 
1 5  acres  ;  several  others,  4  acres  ;  and  the  town  of 
Hawick,  852  acres,  exclusive  of  Myreslawgreen  and 
the  two  haughs.     The  council  then  let  part  of  the 
common,  and  the  burgesses,  conceiving  that  they 
had  a  right  to  pasture  the  whole  common  as  for- 
merly, proceeded  to  elect  a  herd  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  council,  on  which  the  bailies  imprisoned 
Walter  Freeman  and  James  Dryden,  the  leaders. 
Freeman  and  his  adherents,  to  the  number  of  205, 
raised  an  action  of  declarator,  with  the  view  of 
enlarging  the  powers  of  the  burgesses,  and  the 
bailies  and  council  raised  a  counter  action  to  as- 
certain the  extent  of  their  powers.     Lord  Alva 
held  that  the  council  were  bound  by  the  charter  of 
1537,  bi;t  the  decision  of  the  Ordinary  was  altered 
by  the  Inner  House,  and  the  sett  of  the  burgh  de- 
clared to  be  as  above  mentioned. 

About  the  same  time  the  commons  of  many 
towns  were  divided,  and  the  neighbouring  proprie- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  281 

tors  are  believed  to  have  got  more  than  their  full 
shares.  The  town  of  Selkirk  lost  nearly  the  whole 
of  a  valuable  common  under  a  similar  reference. 
The  proprietors  whose  lands  encircled  the  property 
of  the  burgh  claimed  a  share  of  the  common,  on 
the  ground  that  their  cattle  had  pastured  on  it ; 
and  they  got  what  they  claimed.  Even  the  small 
commons  of  the  little  villages  of  the  country  were 
treated  in  the  same  way.  The  Act  under  which 
they  were  divided  has  no  doubt  operated  bene- 
ficially for  the  country,  but  its  operations  would 
not  have  been  less  beneficial  had  the  small  owners 
of  houses  and  lands  in  towns  and  villages  got  a 
larger  portion,  and  the  wealthy  landowners  a  less 
share. 

There  are  a  number  of  good  streets  in  the  burgh. 
The  High  Street  runs  from  the  Slitrig  on  the  west 
to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town.  The  princi- 
pal messuage,  or  the  baron's  mansion,  stands  at  the 
west  end  of  the  street,  on  the  south  side,  and  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river.  Part  of  the  old  building 
is  yet  to  be  seen.  It  is  probable  that  this  tower 
was  the  residence  of  the  Lovels.  It  is  certain  that 
the  barons  of  Drumlanrig,  and  Anne,  Duchess  of 
Buccleuch,  the  wife  of  the  weak  and  unfortunate 
Monmouth,  made  it  their  occasional  residence. 
About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  it 
was  the  abode  of  the  bailie-depute  of  the  regality, 
and  part  of  it  used  as  a  prison  of  the  barony. 
About  1773  the  tower  was  converted  into  a  hotel, 


282  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

and  a  Mr  Stevenson  brought  from  Yorkshire  to  be 
landlord.*  It  is  still  occupied  as  a  hotel,  and  a 
very  comfortable  one  it  is.  That  part  of  it  which 
was  used  as  the  prison  of  the  regality  is  now  a 
wine-cellar,  for  which  it  is  better  fitted.  A  suite  of 
apartments  is  kept  for  the  use  of  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch  when  he  has  occasion  to  visit  Hawick. 
Tradition  says  that  the  tower  was  surrounded  by  a 
deep  moat,  drawn  from  the  Slitrig.  When  Sussex 
visited  Hawick  in  1570,  the  tower  was  the  only 
place  that  escaped  being  burned.  Besides  this 
hotel,  the  street  contains  a  number  of  buildings, 
amongst  others  the  Commercial  Bank,  the  Koyal 
Bank,  and  National  Bank,  each  of  which  might 
well  be  deemed  an  ornament  to  a  large  city.  The 
shops  are  also  very  superior,  bearing  their  testimony 
to  the  fact  that  the  burgh  of  Hawick  is  in  a  flour- 
ishing state.  The  Crown  Hotel,  in  the  same  street, 
is  elegant  and  commodious,  the  commercial-room 
of  which  is  not  surpassed,  it  is  said,  by  any  room 
of  the  kind  in  Scotland. 

Buccleuch  Street  runs  from  the  foot  of  Howgate 
westward.  It  is  wide,  and  contains  a  number  of 
good  and  substantial  houses.  The  Subscription 
Kooms,  built  in  1821,  are  in  this  street.  At  the 
west  end  of  it  is  the  new  parish  church,  built  at 
the  sole  expense  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  a  gift 
for  which  the  inhabitants  may  well  feel  grateful. 
There  is  also  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel  here. 

*  Wilson's  Annals  of  Hawick,  p.  163. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  283 

The  Howgate  begins  at  the  bridge  over  the 
Slitrig,  and  ascends  the  hill  to  the  west.  At  the 
head  of  the  Howgate  is  a  part  of  the  town,  built  in 
an  old  form,  having  a  tongue  or  row  of  houses  in 
the  centre.  The  houses  forming  the  street  at  the 
graveyard  appear  to  be  among  the  oldest  in  the 
town.  A  number  of  other  streets  run  in  various 
directions,  affording  accommodation  to  the  greatly 
increasing  population  of  this  rising  town.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  there  are  so  many  ill- ventilated 
closes  and  wynds  in  this  town,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  these  will  disappear  as  new  houses  are  erected 
in  more  salubrious  situations.  On  the  banks  of 
the  Slitrig,  a  number  of  good  houses  have  been 
erected  within  these  few  years,  and  an  Episcopal 
chapel.  The  mill  of  the  barony  stood  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Slitrig,  between  the  Tower  Knowe  and 
the  Teviot. 

The  ancient  cross  stood  in  the  High  Street,  near 
to  the  present  town-hall.  Notices  of  it  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  town-council  records.  It  shared  the 
same  fate  as  mostly  all  the  crosses  of  the  old  towns, 
under  the  pretence  of  improving  the  roadways. 

A  few  of  the  pends  or  arches  of  the  old  houses 
in  the  town  are  still  to  be  seen.  It  is  probable 
that  each  particate  had  a  house  of  defence,  the 
ground  floor  arched  for  the  bestial  belonging  to 
the  particate  man,  and  the  second  storey  the  dwel- 
ling of  the  family,  to  which  access  was  by  an  out- 
side stair.  Such  was  the  form  of  the  houses  in  the 
towns  and  villages  of  the  district. 


2S4        THE  "history  and  antiquities  of 

The  Mot  or  Moot  Hill  of  the  Eegality  is  situ- 
ated on  the  left  bank  of  the  Slitrig,  a  little  to  the 
west  of  the  church  of  St  Mary's.  It  is  an  artificial 
mound  of  earth,  30  feet  high.  It  is  circular  at  the 
base,  and  measures  312  feet,  at  the  top  117  feet. 
I  am  now  satisfied  that  this  tumulus  has  not  been 
used  as  a  place  of  burial,  but  for  juridical  purposes. 
A  careful  examination  of  the  tumulus  would  lead 
to  the  belief  that  it  owes  its  origin  to  the  erection 
of  the  lands  into  a  barony  or  regality,  rather  than 
to  the  aborigines  of  the  district.  Unlike  the  hills 
erected  by  the  native  people,  it  is  not  divided  into 
stages  or  circles,  advanced  above  each  other,  and 
without  steps  for  ascending  to  the  summit.*  It 
may  be,  however,  that  the  Mote  Hill  of  Hawick 
has  existed  from  early  times,  and  been  used  for 
the  promulgation  of  laws,  and  that  the  chapel  of  St 
Mary  was  the  place  where  the  magistrates  attended 
divine  worship  before  proceeding  to  the  hill  to  pub- 
lish the  laws  and  administer  justice.  Every  barony 
had  its  mote  hill. 

The  town  of  Hawick  is  famous  for  its  woollen 
manufactories.  About  the  middle  of  last  century 
a  small  trade  in  yarn,  spun  upon  a  wheel  in  the 
winter  evenings  by  the  women  of  the  district,  was 
commenced.     The  yarn   was  carried  to  Kendal, 

*  A  fine  specimen  of  the  juridical  hill  of  the  aborigines 
stands  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tweed,  fronting  Makerstoun 
House,  of  which  a  good  view  is  obtained  from  the  North 
British  Railway.     On  the  top  of  it  is  a  clump  of  trees. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  285 

Boroughbridge,  and  Stirling,  or  sold  at  the  fairs  to 
riders  from  England.  From  Kendal  was  brought 
bend-leather  and  the  wares  of  Sheffield  and  Bir- 
mingham. Near  the  same  time  a  carpet  manufac- 
ture was  begun  by  John  Elliot  of  Borthwickbrae, 
Walter  Elliot  of  Ormiston,  Thomas  Turnbull  in 
Minto,  and  William  Kobertson,  an  active  operative 
weaver  from  Dunfermline.  On  every  stone  of  wool 
manufactured  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  Improve- 
ments in  Scotland  gave  a  bounty  of  Is.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  years  the  proprietors  added  the 
manufacture  of  various  other  articles  in  the  same 
line — carpet  covers,  table  covers,  and  rugs.  In 
the  year  1780  the  quantity  of  wool  manufactured 
was  2640  stones,  and  the  persons  employed  362. 
The  trade  was  given  up  in  1806.  In  the  year  1 783 
the  inkle  trade  was  commenced,  and  carried  on  to 
1800.  In  the  year  1771  the  manufacture  of  stock- 
ings was  begun  by  John  Hardie,  one  of  the  magis- 
trates of  the  town.*  He  employed  four  looms,  which 


*  " Stockens"  were  introduced  into  Rome  about  the  end  of 
the  Commonwealth,  and,  it  is  said,  first  worn  by  Augustus. 
Onthe  introduction  of  this  useful  article  of  dress,  the  "breeks" 
were  abridged  of  their  ordinary  length,  and  met  the  ustockens" 
at  the  knee.  The  Saxons  were  indebted  to  the  Britons  for 
this  necessary  article  of  a  gentleman's  dress.  Originally 
the  lower  ranks  while  travelling  carried  their  "stockens" 
u  on  their  neck  to  save  their  feet  from  wearing,  because  they 
had  no  change." — Giraldus,  p.  887.  Till  of  late  the  same 
mode  was  followed  by  the  Highland  drovers. 


286  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

produced  about  2400  pairs  yearly.     The  stockings 
were  at  first  of  the  line  a  and  worsted  sorts,  which 
were  superseded  in  1783  by  lamb's  wool.      After 
carrying  on  the  trade  for  ten  years,  during  which 
time  the  trade  was  introduced  to  Jedburgh,  Kelso, 
Wooler,  Langholm,  Melrose,  and  Selkirk,  by  per- 
sons taught  in  Mr  Hardie's  shop,  it  was  abandoned 
by  him  and  taken  up  by  Mr  Nixon.     Previous  to 
1785  the  manufacture  was  confined   to  persons 
who  furnished  their  own  materials.     After  that 
time  he  manufactured  annually  different  articles 
of  hosiery  on  his  own  account  to  a  considerable 
extent,  viz.,   3505  pairs   of  coloured  and  white 
lamb's  wool  hose,  and  590  pairs  of  cotton  thread 
and  worsted  hose.      The  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed was  65.     "  The  yarn  for  this  purpose  was, 
up  to  1779,  all  carded  and  spun  by  hand,  small 
quantities  of  wool  being  given  out  for  that  purpose. 
Previous  to  this  first  mill  built  in  1798,  the  same 
manufacturer  employed  about  100  women  scattered 
over  the  district.     The  machinery  erected  in  this 
mill,  though  of  small  size,  spun  24  threads  at  once, 
which  was  a  great  stride  over  the  "  muckle  wheel," 
so  called  in  contradistinction  to  the  distaff  and 
small  wheel,  on  which  were  spun  worsted  and  linen 
yarns.     Large  quantities  of  that  yarn  were  spun 
here  for  the  eminent  house  of  Pease  of  Darlington, 
and  there  manufactured  by  them  into  "  camlets " 
and  other  heavy  worsted  fabrics.     After  this  mill 
was  erected,  the  hosiery  trade  rapidly  increased ; 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  287 

the  second  mill  was  erected  in  1803,  the  third  in 
1809,  and  the  next  in  1810.  These  were  followed 
by  the  mills  formerly  erected  for  spinning  carpet 
yarns  being  changed  to  produce  hosiery  yarns. 
The  manufacture  of  hosiery  made  from  the  yarns 
produced  by  these  mills  was  the  staple  trade  of  the 
town  up  to  1817.*  At  this  period  the  hosiery 
trade  of  Hawick  suffered  great  depression  from 
bad  crops  and  the  general  decline  of  trade  in  the 
kingdom.  For  a  long  time  the  stocking  makers 
resisted  the  introduction  of  the  improved  frame,  in 
the  belief  that  it  had  a  tendency  to  lower  the  rate 
of  wages,  but  a  better  spirit  now  prevails,  and  the 
improved  frame  is  extensively  used. 

The  manufacture  of  cloth  was  established  in 
September  1787.f  During  the  first  year  10  packs 
of  wool  were  used,  and  in  1792  above  40  packs 
were  consumed.  The  cloth  was  sold  from  2s.  to 
3s.  per  yard,  and  the  number  of  persons  employed, 
weavers,  spinners,  dyers,  carders,  and  other  per- 
sons, was  31.     In  1817,  when  the  stocking  trade 

*  Paper  read  by  Walter  Wilson  at  the  Social  Science 
Congress. 

t  Woollen  manufactures  existed  in  this  country  about 
150  years  before  the  days  of  Caesar.  Woollen  cloth  was 
manufactured  in  the  time  of  Agricola  throughout  the  circuit 
of  the  British  empire.  It  was  introduced  into  this  country 
from  Gaul,  where,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  were  considerable 
woollen  manufactures  for  plaiding.  In  the  days  of  Caesar 
the  commonalty  were  clothed  with  wool.  The  woollen 
drapery  was  prior  to  linen. 


288  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

declined,  the  owners  of  the  mills  begun  the  weav- 
ing of  a  kind  of  woollen  plaiding,  and  ere  long 
blanket  and  woollen  goods  were  manufactured. 
"  By  this  new  branch  of  trade  the  mills  for  spin- 
ning and  carding  were  kept  at  full  work.  In  a  few 
years  a  further  extension  was  made  to  the  trade  of 
the  town  by  the  commencement  of  the  tweed 
trade.  This  article  soon  superseded  all  other  sorts 
of  goods  in  the  weaving  department,  and  in  pro- 
gress of  time  power  looms  were  introduced,  and 
this  branch,  along  with  the  hosiery  branches  of 
lamb's  wool  and  merino,  form  now  the  staple  man- 
ufactures of  the  town.  There  are  now  13  mills 
at  work,  driven  by  water  and  steam,  and  as  many 
firms  manufacturing  tweeds  and  other  woollen 
goods,  and  hosiery,  and  yarn.  The  machinery 
used  is  of  the  best  and  newest  construction,  and 
instead  of  24  threads  spun  at  once,  as  in  the  first 
mill,  500  are  now  spun  at  once.  There  are  now 
in  these  mills  55,000  spindles  at  work.  The  value 
of  the  manufactures  and  trade  of  Hawick,  in  re- 
spect of  hosiery  and  the  weaving  of  woollen  goods, 
has  been  estimated  at  £250,000  sterling  yearly."* 
The  town  is  rapidly  augmenting  its  manufactures, 
and  there  is  every  prospect  of  its  being  ere  long 
the  principal  town  in  the  south  of  Scotland.  The 
inhabitants  deserve  success. 


*  Paper  read  by  Walter  Wilson  before  the  Social  Science 
Congress.     Vide  also  Wilson's  Annals  of  Hawick. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  289 

On  the  last  Friday  in  May,  old  style,  the  marches 
of  the  burgh  property  were  always  ridden  by  the 
magistrates  and  inhabitants.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  riding  of  the  marches  was  coeval 
with  the  acquiring  the  lands  of  the  burgh.  A  per- 
ambulation of  lands  was  necessary  by  every  pro- 
prietor at  stated  intervals,  to  fix  and  keep  in  re- 
membrance the  boundaries  thereof.  Occasionally 
boys  were  carried  round  the  marches,  and  whipped 
at  particular  places,  in  the  hope  of  their  remem- 
bering in  after  years  the  spot  of  their  being  birched. 
When  the  lands  became  enclosed  there  was  less 
need  for  visiting  the  marches  annually,  and  the 
custom  fell  into  disuse.  It  would  appear  that  one 
of  the  magistrates  headed  the  perambulators,  and 
carried  a  flag,  said  to  have  been  taken  from  the 
English  in  1514.  About  1703  a  standard-bearer 
was  elected  from  the  young  unmarried  men  for  the 
first  time,  but  owing  to  misbehaviour  the  council 
directed  "the  oldest  bailie  to  carry  the  pennon 
through  and  out  of  the  town,  and  the  younger 
bailie  to  carry  it  back  again  in  through  the  town, 
with  power  to  appoint  any  person  he  chose  to 
carry  it  along  the  common  muir."  The  ceremony 
is  now  confined  to  riding  to  the  common,  where 
the  day  is  spent  in  horse-racing ;  the  next  day  the 
sports  are  held  in  the  common  haugh.  Before 
proceeding  to  the  common,  a  song  is  sung  by  the 
cornet  and  his  attendants  from  the  roof  of  an  old 
tenement  belonging  to  the  town. 

T 


290  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

"  We'll  hie  to  the  muir  a-riding ; 
Drumlanrig  gave  ii  for  providing 
Our  ancestors  of  martial  order 
To  drive  the  English  off  our  border. 

u  At  Flodden  field  our  fathers  fought  it, 
And  honour  gained,  though  dear  they  bought  it ; 
By  Teviot  side  they  took  this  colour, 
A  dear  memorial  of  their  valour. 

"  Though  twice  of  old  our  town  was  burned, 
Yet  twice  the  foeman  back  we  turned, 
And  ever  should  our  rights  be  trod  on, 
We'll  face  the  foe  to  '  Tirioden.' 

"  Up  wi'  Hawick,  its  rights,  and  common, 
Up  wi'  a'  '  the  Border  bowmen  : ' 
4  Tiribus  and  Tirioden,' 
We  are  up  to  guard  the  common." 

The  Eev.  Mr  Wallace,  who  wrote  the  New 
Statistical  Account  of  the  parish,  states  that  the 
slogan  or  war -cry  of  the  burgh  was  "  Tiribus  and 
Tirioden"  a  phrase  which  he  derives  from  the 
Saxons  or  Danes : — "  The  first  word  may  be  under- 
stood as  making  tolerably  good  Anglo-Saxon — Tyr 
Jiaebbe  us,  may  Tyr  have  us  in  his  keeping  ;  whilst 
the  other  conjoins  the  names  of  Tyr  and  Odin, 
whose  united  aid  is  supposed  to  be  invoked."  Mr 
Wilson,  who  wrote  the  Annals  and  Old  Memories  of 
Hawick,  thinks  that  the  meaning  of  the  phrase,  in 
one  sense,  is  "  Gods  of  thunder  and  war  protect 
us  ;"  in  another  sense,  "  To  battle,  sons  of  the  Gods." 
I  have  not  been   able  to  discover   any  grounds 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  291 

warranting  the  belief  that  Hawick  had  any  war- 
cry  in  the  olden  time ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  not  to 
be  doubted  that  the  phrase,  as  well  as  the  song,  is 
of  recent  date.  Were  I  to  hazard  a  conjecture,  it 
would  be  that  all  persons  of  every  degree  are  called 
to  the  riding  of  the  common,  those  bus'd  in  teri 
(velvet)  as  well  as  hodin.  The  colour  referred  to 
in  the  song  was  taken  from  a  party  of  English, 
who  were  surprised  while  asleep  at  Hornshole 
Bridge. 

A  Farmers  Club  meets  in  the  burgh.  It  was 
established  in  1776,  and,  according  to, the  report  of 
its  secretary,  has  for  its  object  "  the  improvement 
of  farming ;  and  in  furtherance  of  this  object  the 
members  have  given  a  variety  of  premiums,  recom- 
mended the  institution  and  regulation  of  markets, 
arid  have  been  in  the  habit  of  discussing  questions 
connected  with  agriculture,  stock-farming,  and  rural 
polity  in  general."  In  1778  the  club  established  a 
market  for  corn  in  the  burgh,  and  were  the  means 
of  inducing  the  town-council  in  1785  to  establish 
a  cattle-tryst  in  October.  The  first  ploughing- 
match  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  club  was  on 
the  farm  of  Ashybank,  in  April  1786,  when  ten 
ploughs  appeared  on  the  field.  At  the  present 
day  the  club  is  in  full  vigour,  and  meets  regularly. 

Some  years  ago  an  Archaeological  Society  was  in- 
stituted. At  its  meetings  valuable  papers  are  read 
illustrative  of  the  history  and  antiquities  of  the 
town  and  district.     In  connection  with  the  society 


292  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

is  a  museum.  Hitherto  the  society  has  been  very 
successful. 

The  old  parish  church  of  Hawick  stands  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Slitrig,  opposite  to  the  tower.  It 
was  built  in  1763.  The  period  of  the  first  founda- 
tion of  a  church  here  is  not  exactly  known.  It 
seems  to  have  existed  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
twelfth  century,  and  although  it  does  not  appear  in 
the  "  Inquisitio  Davidis"  in  1116,  it  may  have  been 
founded  shortly  after  that  time.  Between  1183 
and  1285  the  parsons  of  Hawick  witness  several 
charters.  In  1296  the  parson  of  the  church  swore 
fealty  to  the  English  king.  The  patronage  of  the 
church  seems  always  to  have  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  Lovels  and  their  successors  in  the  barony.  At 
the  Keformation  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Earl 
of  Bothwell.  The  United  Presbyterians  have  three 
places  of  worship  in  Hawick.  The  first  Secession 
congregation  was  established  in  1763,  the  second 
in  1780,  and  the  Relief  in  1810.  There  is  also  a 
congregation  of  Independents.  The  Episcopalians 
have  a  chapel  here,  and  so  have  the  Roman 
Catholics.  For  further  particulars  regarding  the 
burgh  of  Hawick,  the  curious  reader  is  referred 
to  the  Annals  and  Old  Memories  of  Hawick,  by 
the  late  James  Wilson,  town-clerk,  and  to '  the 
interesting  papers  published  by  the  Archaeological 
Society. 

Goudielands. — The  castle  of  this  name  stands 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Teviot,  near  to  where  the 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  293 

Borthwick  flows  into  the  river.  It  is  said  to  have 
derived  its  name  from  an  early  proprietor  of  the 
name  of  Goldie,  but  which  appears  doubtful.  The 
lands  were,  from  an  early  period,  part  of  the  pos- 
sessions of  the  Scotts.  The  castle  itself  was  built 
by  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Buccleuch,  who  was  slain 
in  Edinburgh  in  1552,  and  given  to  his  natural 
son,  Walter  Scott,  the  first  of  Goudielands.  It 
was  built  as  a  watch-tower  to  Branxholm.  Scott 
of  Goudielands  led  the  clan  Scott  at  the  battle  of 
Kedswyre.  The  lands  were  held  by  the  Scotts  of 
Goudielands  till  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
when  they  returned  to  the  family  of  Buccleuch, 
with  whom  they  now  remain.  In  1706,  Henry, 
the  son  of  James  and  Ann,  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Monmouth,  was  created  baron  of  Goudielands,  &c. 
In  the  view  given  by  Grose,  in  his  volume  of 
Scottish  Antiquities,  drawn  in  1787,  there  appears 
two  towers,  one  standing  on  the  east  end  of  a 
court,  and  the  other  on  the  west  end.  Both 
towers  are  shown  as  nearly  entire,  and  of  three  or 
four  storeys  in  height.  The  castle  seems  to  have 
been  built  after  the  form  of  Halidon-tower  in  Bow- 
den  parish. 

Branxholm. — The  territory  of  Branxholm  was 
originally  a  part  of  the  barony  of  Hawick,  the 
property  of  the  Lovels,  the  Baliols,  and  the  Mur- 
rays.  In  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century 
Sir  William  Scott  of  Murdieston  exchanged  that 
estate  with  Sir  Thomas  Inglis  of  Manor,  for  one- 


294          THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

half  of  the  barony  of  Branxholm.  About  the 
middle  of  the  same  century  Sir  Walter  Scott  of 
Branxholm  received  the  other  half  of  the  barony 
from  the  king,  as  a  reward  for  his  services  against 
the  house  of  Douglas.  In  1463  Branxholm,  Lang- 
ton,  Lempetlaw,  Elrig,  Kankelburn,  Eckford,  and 
Whitchester,  were  erected  into  a  free  barony,  in 
favour  of  David  Scott  of  Kirkurd. 

The  castle  stands  on  the  north  side  of  the  Teviot, 
and  was  long  the  residence  of  the  bold  Buccleuch. 
In  1532  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Earl  of  Northum- 
berland, and  in  1570  it  was  laid  in  ruins  by  the 
Earl  of  Sussex.  Sir  Walter  Scott  began  to  rebuild 
it,  but  died  before  the  work  was  completed,  and  it 
was  finished  by  his  widow.  The  following  legend 
appears  on  a  stone  bearing  the  arms  of  the  family : 
— "  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Branxheim,  Knyt.,  yoe  of 
Sir  William  Scott  of  Kirkurd,  Knyt.,  began  ye 
work  upon  ye  24  March  1571  zeir,  quha  departed 
at  God's  pleisour  ye  17  April  1574. Dame  Mar- 
garet Douglas,  his  spous,  completed  the  foresaid 
work  in  October  1576." 

Over  an  arched  door  is  the  following  verse : — 

"  In.  Varld.  is.  Nocht.  Natur.  Hes.  Vrought.  Yet. 

sal.  Last.  Ay. 

Thairfor.  serve.  God.  Keip.  Veil.  ye.  Rod.  Thy. 

Fame.  sal.  Nocht.  Dekay. 

Shir.  Valter.  Scot.  of.  Branxholme.  Knyght. 

Margaret.  Douglas. 

1571." 


295 

On  another  residence  being  chosen  by  the  family 
of  Scott,  the  castle  came  to  be  occupied  by  the 
chamberlains  of  the  house. 

Howpasley  or  Howpastlot. — This  place  was 
an  old  possession  of  the  Scotts,  and  originally 
formed  a  part  of  the  barony  of  Hawick.  From 
1490  to  1557  the  family  is  seen  in  occupation  of 
the  lands.  In  1494  James  Turnbull,  brother  to 
the  laird  of  Quhithope,  produced  at  the  criminal 
court  at  Selkirk  a  remission  for  art  and  part  of  the 
stoutreif  of  iron  windows,  doors,  and  crukes  furth 
of  the  tower  of  Howpaslot,  pertaining  to  Walter 
Scott,  the  laird  thereof.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century  the  lands  passed  into  the 
family  of  Douglas  of  Drurnlanrig,  the  over -lord. 
It  is  not  exactly  known  how  the  lands  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Douglas,  but  it  is  probable  that  it  was 
by  means  of  wadset,  apprizing,  or  other  legal  dili- 
gence. It  is  certain  that  the  clan  Scott  did  not 
consent  to  Douglas  or  his  tenants  occupying  the 
lands,  and  the  Lady  of  Howpaslet  was  roused  into 
fury  at  the  very  idea  of  her  domains  being  in  the 
hands  of  a  Douglas.  A  meeting  in  the  town  of 
Hawick  was  held  in  April  1615,  at  which  she  and 
Jean  Scott  of  Satchells  presided,  when  it  was  re- 
solved that  the  bravoes  of  the  clan  should  maim 
and  destroy  the  whole  stock  which  had  been  put 
on  the  lands  by  Douglas.  Accordingly  George 
Scott,  cordiner  in  Hawick,  "  the  Souter,"  called 
Marione's  Geordie :   Walter  Scott,  son  of  Bradis 


296  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Androw;  Ingrain  Scott,  and  John  Scott,  called  "the 
Suckler,"  went  from  the  town  of  Hawick  to  Elrig- 
burnefoot,  and  passed  up  the  water  to  Birneycleuch, 
between  Elrig  and  Howpaslet,  and  from  thence  to 
the  lands  of  Howpaslet,  at  a  cleuchside  where 
Drumlanrig's  sheep  were  lying  in  their  folds.  They 
then,  with  swords  and  other  weapons,  slew  and 
maimed  three  score  of  the  sheep,  of  which  forty 
had  their  heads  struck  off  and  their  backs  cut  in 
two.  The  remainder  had  their  legs  cut  and  broken , 
of  which  they  died.  The  "  Suckler"  was  taken  as 
evidence,  and  the  other  persons  were  tried  at  Edin- 
burgh, and  hanged.  A  dog  belonging  to  George 
Scott,  which  was  called  Hyde-the-bastard,  assisted 
in  the  destruction  of  the  sheep.  The  "  Suckler"  was 
in  the  same  year  convicted  of  stealing  four  sheep 
from  the  lands  of  Mouslie,  occupied  by  one  of  the 
laird  of  Chisholm's  tenants,  in  the  year  1612,  and 
also  often  other  sheep.  He  was  hanged  at  the  mar- 
ket cross  of  Edinburgh.  It  is  evident  that  these 
charges  were  raked  up  against  the  Suckler  to  get 
him  out  of  the  way  of  further  mischief.  George 
Langlands,  of  that  ilk,  was  foreman  of  the  jury,  who 
were  taken  chiefly  from  the  neighbourhood  of 
Hawick.  There  were  nine  Armstrongs  on  the 
jury,  who  would  know  well  the  character  of 'the 
Suckler. 

In  1536  Symon  Armstrong  was  convicted  of 
stealing  a  black  mare  from  Eobert  Scott  of  How- 
paslot,  and  of  art  and  part  of  traitorous  fire  raising 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  297 

and  burning  of  the  town  of  Howpaslot,  and  of  the 
theft  and  concealment  of  sixty  cows  and  oxen  be- 
longing to  the  said  Eobert  Scott,  in  company  with 
Kobert  Henderson, alias " Cheys-wame"  The  sen- 
tence was,  "  to  be  drawn  to  the  gallows  and  hanged 
thereupon  ;  and  that  he  shall  forfeit  his  life,  lands, 
possessions,  and  all  his  goods,  moveable  and  im- 
moveable, to  the  king,  to  be  disposed  of  at  his 
pleasure." 

Harwood  was  also  comprehended  in  the  barony 
of  Hawick.  The  name  is  derived  from  a  large  oak 
wood  which  grew  in  the  locality.  In  1605  the 
Turnbulls  of  Wauchope,  Clarelaw,  and  Hoppes- 
burne,  were  accused  of  the  crimes  of  taking  from 
Margaret  Lady  Appotside,  off  the  town  and  lands  of 
Harwood,  200  "  kye"  and  oxen,  30  score  of  sheep, 
30  horses  and  mares,  with  the  whole  plenishing, 
worth  £1000,  and  of  burning  the  place,  together 
with  three  horses,  each  worth  £500.  They  also 
slew  William  Lorain,  a  young  boy  of  thirteen  years, 
and  his  brother  Hector,  within  the  plantation  of 
Harwood.  They  were  also  charged  with  cutting 
and  destroying  within  the  woods  of  Appotside 
1000  birch,  500  large  oaks,  300  alders,  400  hazel 
trees,  and  wasting  and  destroying  the  woods. 


298  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OF   THE   BARONY   OF   WILTON. 

The  name  of  this  barony  is  derived  from  an 
early  settler  of  the  name  of  Wil,  and  ton,  his  habi- 
tation. Between  1165  and  1214,  there  are  seen 
several  persons  bearing  the  name  of  Wilton. 
When  Edward,  the  English  king,  overran  the 
kingdom,  he  granted  the  half  of  the  lands  to  Wil- 
liam de  Charteris,  and  Walter  de  Pertchay,  but 
when  Bruce  got  his  own,  he  conferred  them  on 
Henry  of  Wardlaw.*  In  the  subsequent  reign, 
the  other  half  of  the  barony  was  granted  to  Gilbert 
de  Maxwell.  In  1342,  Maxwell  granted  his  half 
of  the  barony,  with  all  the  men  thereon,  and  the 
patronage  of  the  church,  to  the  convent  of  Melrose, 
for  the  reddendo  of  a  silver  penny,  at  the  nativity  of 
John  the  Baptist.  In  this  charter,  Maxwell  re- 
served to  himself  and  heirs  the  right  to  redeem 
the  lands  from  the  monks  on  payment  of  forty 
pounds  sterling,  on  any  day  between  sunrise  and 
sunset,  at  the  monastery  of  Melrose.     It  was  also 

*  Reg.  Mag.  Sig. 


299 

arranged  that  in  the  event  of  Maxwell  or  his  heirs 
wishing  to  sell  the  lands,  the  convent  was  to  have 
the  first  offer.  The  granter  and  his  heirs  were 
also  bound  not  to  sell  or  let  the  lands  in  tack  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  monks,  and  if  they  did  so, 
their  alienations  was  not  to  be  valid.*  The  lands 
seem  to  have  been  redeemed  by  Maxwell,  and 
afterwards  forfeited.  David  II.  granted  the  lands 
to  John,  the  son  of  Margaret.  In  1451,  James  III. 
granted  the  barony  of  Wilton  to  John  Langlands, 
who  belonged  originally  to  Peebleshire.  Lang- 
lands  seems  to  have  been  related  to  the  Scots  of 
Buccleuch,  for  in  the  contract  between  the  Scots 
and  Kers,  entered  into  in  1564,  Walter  Scott  of 
Branxholm  and  Buccleuch  takes  burden  on  him  for 
James  Langlands  of  that  ilk,  and  "  his  bairnes," 
as  one  of  his  surname. f  About  1494,  Koger 
Langlands  slew  Sir  George  Farnylaw,  chaplain, 
while  disputing  about  the  tithes  payable  by  Lang- 
lands to  the  convent  of  Melrose.  Sir  Kobert  Ker, 
knight,  and  John  Rutherfurd  of  Edgerston,  be- 
came sureties  to  the  Sheriff  of  Roxburgh  that 
Langlands  would  underly  the  law  for  the  slaugh- 
ter at  Jedworth  Justice  Court.  On  February  28, 
1594-5,  the  said  cautioners  having  failed  to  pro- 
duce him  before  the  Justiciary  Judge  at  Jedburgh, 
were  amerciated  in  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds  each, 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  441-2. 
f  Pitcairn,  vol.  iii.  pp.  391-3. 


300  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

and  it  was  ordained  that  Langlands  should  be  de- 
nounced rebel,  and  all  his  goods  escheated  to  the 
king.  A  cross  was  erected  at  the  place  of  slaugh- 
ter, which,  at  the  present  time,  bears  the  name  of 
Crosshall,  situated  on  the  estate  of  Stirches.  The 
cross  was  destroyed  about  the  middle  of  last  cen- 
tury, and  early  in  the  present  century  the  large 
stone  trough,  in  which  it  had  been  fixed,  was 
blown  to  pieces  by  the  tenant  of  the  farm,  with 
whose  agricultural  operations  it  interfered.*  Lang- 
lands  appears  to  have  obtained  a  remission  of  this 
forfeiture,  as  his  family  is  again  seen  in  possession 
of  the  lands.  The  line  ended  in  heirs-female  at 
the  close  of  the  last  century.  In  1515,  Elizabeth 
Langlands  married  George  Chisholm  of  that  ilk, 
in  the  parish  of  Wilton.  In  the  end  of  last  cen- 
tury Lord  Napier  was  in  possession  of  the  half  of 
the  barony  which  formerly  belonged  to  Langlands, 
excepting  those  parts  which  had  been  sold.  The 
Duke  of  Buccleuch  is  now  in  possession  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  barony  of  Wilton. 

The  town  of  Wilton  is  now  within  the  police 
boundaries  of  the  burgh  of  Hawick.  There  are  a 
number  of  manufactories  on  the  Wilton  side  of  the 
Teviot,  and  which  have  been  already  included  in 
the  notices  of  the  manufactures  of  that  burgh.  -A 
number  of  good  houses  are  being  built  on  the  hill- 
sides, adding  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  locality. 

*  For  tradition  in  regard  to  this  matter,  see  vol.  i.  p.  339. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC  301 

The  old  church  of  Wilton  was  built  in  1763,  in 
the  village.  Last  year  an  elegant  church  was 
erected  by  the  heritors,  and  a  new  graveyard  laid 
out  for  the  ashes  of  the  parishioners.  At  the  end 
of  the  twelfth  century,  the  church  of  Wilton  was 
the  property  of  the  church  of  Glasgow.  John,  the 
son  of  John  of  Wilton,  claimed  the  patronage  of 
the  church.  Kobert  Dene,  parson  of  the  church, 
took  the  oath  of  fealty  to  the  English  king  in  1296. 
When  Langlands  obtained  half  of  the  barony,  he 
seems  also  to  have  obtained  the  patronage  of  the 
church.  It  is  now  vested  in  the  Duke  of  Buc- 
cleuch.  The  glebe  consists  of  about  eighty  acres 
of  arable  land,  lying  near  to  the  town.  Tradition 
relates  that  this  land  was  given  by  Langlands  to 
his  brother,  Mr  John  Langlands,  who  was  minister 
in  1641,  and  it  has  remained  ever  since  with  the 
minister  of  the  parish.*  Besides  the  lands  already 
referred  to,  the  church  obtained  about  sixteen  acres 
on  the  division  of  Wilton  common  in  1765.  A  few 
years  ago  a  new  manse  was  erected  in  the  haugh, 
near  to  the  station  of  the  North  British  Kailway. 

Stirches,  the  seat  of  Mr  Chisholme,  occupies 
a  commanding  situation  a  little  to  the  north  of 
Wilton.  It  overlooks  the  vale  of  Teviot  and  an 
extensive  tract  of  country  to  the  south  and  east. 
The  original  part  of  the  mansion-house  is  of  con- 
siderable antiquity.      It  consisted  of  a  massive 

*  JS'ew  Statistical  Account  of  the  Parish. 


302  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

square  tower,  situated  on  a  terraced  platform,  de- 
fended by  a  court-yard  wall,  enclosing  domestic 
offices.  The  under  storey,  as  usual  in  such  build- 
ings, was  a  vaulted  chamber,  used  on  an  emergency 
as  a  stable.  From  this  chamber  access  was  had 
to  the  upper  storeys  by  a  narrow  winding  stair  in 
the  thickness  of  the  wall,  which  led  into  the  hall 
or  public  room,  common  to  all  the  inmates.  The 
hall  was  upwards  of  30  feet  by  18,  with  a  large 
fire-place  at  each  end.  It  is  now  divided  into  two 
apartments.  Above  were  sleeping  rooms.  The 
walls  of  this  part  of  the  building  are  six  feet  thick. 
Above  the  east  entrance  door,  the  only  access  to 
the  tower,  is  the  following  inscription  : — "  Christus 
Rex  regum  qui  non  dormitat  in  cevum :  protegat 
hanc  cedarn  nee  non  sine  crimini  plebem,  1503." 
In  1686  Walter  Cbisholm  demolished  the  upper 
storeys  of  the  tower,  and  built  the  present  south 
front,  roofing  in  the  whole  in  one  line.  Even  at 
that  period,  the  windows,  from  the  marks  in  the 
stone  facings,  appear  to  have  been  secured  by  strong 
iron  gratings.  His  initials  and  those  of  his  wife 
are  carved,  with  the  elate  of  the  addition,  above  one 
of  the  windows,  "  W.  C,  M.  B.,  1686."  He  also 
built  the  kitchen  and  brew-house  attached  to  the 
tower,  since  removed,  but  the  mark  is  still  visible 
on  the  west  gable.  The  other  parts  of  the  build- 
ing are  modern,  but  the  old  turnpike  stair  remains 
intact.* 

*  MS.  History  of  Chisholme. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  303 

The  family  of  Chisholme  is  of  great  antiquity. 
The  name  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  Norman- 
French'  cJiese,  and  the  Saxon  holme.  The  pro- 
genitor of  all  the  families  of  Chisholme  in  Scot- 
land was  Chisholme  of  Chisholme,  in  this  parish, 
and  of  whom  the  present  proprietor  of  Stirches  is 
the  lineal  descendant.  The  name  is  seen  in  pos- 
session of  Chisholme  as  early  as  the  days  of  Alex- 
ander III.  Kichard  Chisholme  and  John,  his  son, 
swore  fealty  to  Edward  in  1296.  One  of  the  family 
was  taken  prisoner  with  David  II.  at  the  battle  of 
Durham.  The  estate  was  forfeited  during  the 
minority  of  James,  and  bestowed  on  Douglas  of 
Drumlanrig,  by  whom  it  was  restored  in  1531. 
In  1526  George  Chisholme  was  accused  of  being 
art  and  part  in  the  slaughter  of  Ker  of  Cessford. 
In  the  contract  between  the  Scots  and  Kers  above 
referred  to,  the  laird  of  Chisholme  appears  as  one 
of  the  clan  of  Scott,  for  whom  the  chief  became 
bound.  It  was  lost  again  to  the  family  in  the  end 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  in  consequence  of  the 
inability  of  Walter  Chisholme  to  pay  a  fine  of 
5000  merks  Scots,  imposed  upon  him  by  his  supe- 
rior for  marrying  a  lady  of  the  name  of  Stirling 
while  he  was  a  minor.  His  eldest  son  purchased 
Stirches  in  1660,  and  modernized  the  old  keep,  as 
already  mentioned.  His  great-grandson  Gilbert, 
married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Scott  of  Whit- 
haugh.  The  eldest  son  of  that  marriage  is  the 
present  owner  of  the  estate.    In  1852  he  succeeded 


304         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

through  his  mother  to  the  estate  of  Whithaugh. 
He  has  greatly  improved  the  mansion-house. 

The  lands  of  Heip,  a  portion  of  the  barony  of 
Wilton,  belonged  to  a  family  of  Wauche  from  the 
thirteenth  century  to  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Eobert  Walugh  de  Hep  swore  fealty  to 
the  English  king  in  1296.  There  seems  to  have 
been  two  Heips,  one  the  wester  Heip,  also  called 
easter  Whithaugh  ;  and  the  other  easter  Heip,  or 
Silverbuthall.  A  small  conical  hill,  of  basaltic  for- 
mation, on  the  lands  of  Heip,  is  called  the  Kip, 
and  gives  the  name  of  Kippilaw  to  a  few  cottages 
standing  near  to  it,  and  also  to  a  small  lake  at  its 
base,  called  the  Kip  moss.  But  may  this  hill  not 
have  given  .a  name  to  the  estate  of  Heip  or  Hep  ? 

Harden. — This  territory  is  an  old  possession  of 
the  Scotts,  now  represented  by  Lord  Polwarth. 
It  lies  between  the  Borthwick  and  Teviot,  and  be- 
fore the  erection  of  Koberton  into  a  parish  formed 
part  of  the  parish  of  Wilton.  The  Castle  stands 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Borthwick  water,  on  the 
brink  of  a  precipitous  glen.  In  1592  authority 
was  granted  by  James  VI.  and  his  Privy  Council 
to  Walter  Scott  of  Goudielands,  and  Gideon  Mur- 
ray, to  demolish  the  places,  houses,  and  fortalices 
of  Harden  and  Dryhope,  belonging  to  Walter 
Scott  of  Harden,  for  art  and  part  in  the  raid  of 
Falkland.  It  must  have  been  rebuilt  before  the 
middle  of  the  next  century,  when  it  seems  to  have 
been  inhabited  by  the  Earl  of  Tarras,  Walter 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC,  305 

Scott  of  Highchesters,  who  married  trie  eldest 
daughter  of  Francis,  Earl  of  Buccleuch.  The 
lobby  is  paved  with  marble,  and  the  ceiling  of  the 
hall  shows  rich  stucco  work.  The  mantelpiece  of 
one  of  the  rooms  has  an  earl's  coronet,  with  the 
letters  W.  E.  T.  wreathed  together.  The  Scotts 
of  Harden  are  a  branch  of  the  family  of  Synton. 
William,  the  first  of  Harden,  got  the  lands  from 
his  brother  Walter  of  Synton.  His  son,  Walter, 
was  the  famous  border  chieftain  Wat  of  Harden, 
renowned  in  border  story.  Tradition  has  it  that 
the  glen  at  the  castle  was  the  place  where  the 
stolen  cattle  were  kept,  which  served  for  the  main- 
tenance of  his  retainers,  until  a  dish,  containing 
only  a  clean  pair  of  spurs,  warned  them  that  a  new 
supply  was  wanted.* 

Wat  of  Harden  married  Mary  Scott,  the  "Flower 
of  Yarrow,"  by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  six 
daughters.  "  Auld  Wat  of  Harden  *  died  in  1 629, 
and  his  eldest  son,  Sir  William  Scott,  succeeded. 
He  was  knighted  by  James  VI.  In  1654  he  was 
fined  in  £3000  by  Cromwell.  He  married  Agnes, 
one  of  the  daughters  of  Sir  Gideon  Murray  of  Eli- 
bank.  Tradition  states  that  he  married  the  plainest 
of  the  three  daughters  of  Elibank  to  save  his  life. 
While  on  an  expedition  to  the  lands  of  Elibank, 
he  was  overpowered  and  carried  prisoner  to  the 

*  In  Cumberland  the  custom  was  to  lay  a  sword  on  the 
table  when  the  provisions  were  finished. 
U 


306         THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

barons  castle.  Elibank  resolved  to  hang  Harden, 
but  Lady  Elibank  suggested  a  more  prudent  course, 
as  he  was  heir  to  a  good  estate,  to  marry  him  to 
one  of  their  daughters,  and  it  is  said  the  marriage 
brought  about  under  such  circumstances  proved  a 
happy  one.  On  Eobert  Scott  dying  without  issue 
in  1710,  the  succession  devolved  upon  Walter  Scott 
of  Highchester,  the  grandson  of  Wat  of  Harden. 
His  son  was  created  Earl  of  Tarras,  and  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  estates  of  Harden  in  1672.  In 
1734  the  second  son  of  the  Earl  of  Tarras  succeeded 
to  Harden.  His  son  Walter  married  a  daughter 
of  the  Earl  of  Marchmont,  Lord  Polwarth.  His 
grandson  is  the  present  Lord  Polwarth,  in  whose 
possession  is  the  bugle  horn  used  by  his  ancestor 
"  Wat  of  Harden."  Owing  to  the  descent  of  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch  from  Monmouth,  Lord  Pol- 
warth is  the  head  of  the  clan  Scott. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  307 


CHAPTER  X. 

OF   THE   BARONIES   OF   MINTO   AND   HASSENDEAN. 

In  the  rolls  of  the  English  king  the  name  of 
Minto  is  written  Mynetowe  and  Mynto*  In  the 
Book  of  Melros  it  is  written  Myintow,"\  and  about 
the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century  it  appears  in  the 
register  of  the  great  seal  as  Mentow,%  and  in  the 
lists  of  the  Lords  of  Council,  Mynetow.  §  Chalmers, 
in  his  brief  notice  of  the  parish,  says  the  origin  of 
the  name  is  obscure.  "  The  Gaelic  etymologists," 
he  says,  "  are  studious  to  explain  the  Celtic  word 
to  mean  the  Kid's  Hill ;  observing  the  craigs  of 
Minto  to  be  interspersed  with  shrubberies,  and 
recollecting  that  kids  delight  to  sport  among 
dangerous  heights,  and  to  browse  on  '  steepy  crags/ 
It  may  be  allowed,  then,  that  Mynn  in  the  Cambro- 
British,  and  Meenn  or  Min  in  the  Scoto-Irish,  do 
signify  a  kid ;  but  among  the  many  names  in  the 
Scoto-Irish  for  a  hill  or  craig,  to,  tow,  or  thow, 

*  Rotuli  Scotiae,  vol.  i.  pp.  26,  965. 
f  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  371,  394. 
t  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  6. 
§  Acta  Dom.  Cone  ,  p.  48. 


308  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

does  not  appear.  The  British  speech  is  more 
likely  to  furnish  the  true  etymon  of  Minto.  In  it 
Mynta  signifies  an  aggregate,  and  Myntai  what  is 
aggregated.  Either  of  these  words  may  have  been 
applied  by  the  British  settlers  here  to  the  congeries 
of  rocks  which  are  even  now  known  by  the  name 
of  Minto  Craigs.  In  their  language  Min-tau 
denotes  the  brink  or  edge  which  extends  out ; 
Minto  means  the  exterior  brink  or  border;  and 
Mintua  signifies  towards  the  brink.  Now,  the 
village  of  Minto  stands  on  a  plain  field  near  the 
brink  of  a  rivulet ;  at  some  distance,  on  the  same 
side  of  the  streamlet,  stands  the  church  on  a  steep 
bank ;  the  mansion-house  of  Minto  is  placed  on 
the  opposite  bank,  which  extends  out  into  irregular 
points,  which  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  two  rivu- 
lets at  the  foot  of  the  steep  bank.  Such  are  the 
localities  which  each  of  the  three  etymons  would 
fitly  describe.  Yet  may  we  reasonably  suppose, 
that  the  attention  of  a  rude  people  would  scarcely 
be  drawn  to  the  softer  scenes  of  the  country,  but 
would  rather  be  attracted  by  the  congeries  of  craigs 
which  have  solicited  the  eyes  of  every  age."*  Dr 
Aitken,  in  the  New  Statistical  Account  of  the  par- 
ish, adopts  the  views  of  Chalmers,  and  adds  a  con- 
jectural derivation  from  the  Saxon,  which  seems  to 
be  untenable.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  name  is 
derived  from  the  crags,  and  not  from  any  other 

*  Caledonia,  vol.  ii.  pp.  169,  170. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  309 

natural  object  in  the  locality.      The  early  people 
always  bestowed  a  name  on  a  place  on  account  of 
its  appearance  or  quality,  and  the  most  prominent 
feature  in  a  locality  was  so  named.      Now,  the 
crags  is  the  most  remarkable   natural  object  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  the  natives,  when  they 
gave  them  a  name,  would  be  such  as  to  describe 
their  appearance,  by  which  strangers  would  know 
the  place.     I  am  satisfied  that  the  aborigines,  in 
giving  a  name  to  the  crags,   described  correctly 
their  appearance — Maental  or  Marital,  meaning 
the  stone  hill  or  towering  crags.     Maen  or  man,  in 
the  British  speech,  signifies  stone  ;  and  tal,  what  is 
over,  or  what  towers.     If  the  I  is  left  out  or  not 
sounded,  the  exact  pronunciation  of  the  name  at 
the  present  day  is  given,  or  taw  is  a  corruption  of 
the  termination  tal.     It  seems  clear  that  this  is  the 
true  etymology  of  the  name  of  the  place,  and  it  is 
surprising  that  Mr  Chalmers  should  have  been  so 
puzzled  with  that  which  is  so  obvious.      Had  he 
seen  the  "congeries  of  crags,"  I  think  it  probable 
that  he  would  at  once  have  arrived  at  the  same 
conclusion.     The  sporting  of  kids  on  the  hills  was 
too  common  a  matter  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  native  people  so  as  to  give  a  name  to  the  hill. 
There  are  many  hills  in  the  district  on  which  kids 
might  delight  to  browse  among  the  "  craggy  steeps," 
but  only  one  stone  hill  or  toivering  crags.      The 
crags  are  721  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  barony  of  Minto  lies  on  the  left  bank  of  the 


310  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Teviot,  the  river  being  the  southern  boundary. 
Originally  the  barony  comprehended  the  lands  of 
Kirk  Borthivic,  lying  about  nine  miles  west  of 
Minto.  Kobert  I.  granted  to  William  Barbiton- 
soris  (or  Barber)  two  parts  of  the  lands  of  Kirk- 
borthwic,  and  three  parts  of  the  mill  thereof,  "  in- 
fra baroniam  Mintliou"  for  the  tenth  part  of  the 
foreign  service  of  one  soldier  in  the  king's  army, 
and  a  suit  three  times  in  the  year  at  the  king's 
court  of  the  sheriffdom  of  Selkirk.*  By  the  same 
charter  the  lands  so  granted  were  transferred  from 
the  county  of  Koxburgh  to  the  shire  of  Selkirk. 
Barbitonsoris  also  obtained  from  the  same  king 
the  lands  of  Hoscoat  and  Greenwood,  and  Line, 
on  the  resignation  of  Adam  of  Hodholme,  and 
about  the  same  time  the  east  part  of  the  lands 
of  FalhopJialch  (Philiphaugh)  and  Schelgrene,  in 
the  county  of  Selkirk.  In  1315  King  Eobert 
granted  to  William,  called  Turnebul,  lands  on  the 
west  side  of  Falhophalch.  In  1329  the  lands  of 
Minto  are  seen  in  the  hands  of  Walter  Turnbull, 
who  was  of  the  family  of  that  name  in  the  forest. 
In  1390  John  Turnbull  of  Myntou  gave  to  his 
nephew,  Sir  William  Stewart  of  Jedworth,  the 
barony  of  Myntou,  to  be  held  of  the  king  and  his 
heirs  in  free  barony,  f  On  the  resignation  of  Sir 
George  Abernethy  of  lands  and  tenements,  includ- 
ing services  of  freeholders,  courts,  and  their  issues, 

*  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  6. 

f  Ibid.,  pp.  189,  190,  No.  23. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  311 

and  third  part  of  the  mill  belonging  to  him  in  the 
territory  of  Myntou,   King  Kobert  III.  granted 
the  same  to  Sir  William  Stewart.     On  the  death 
of  John  Turnbull,  who  granted  the  lands  to  his 
nephew  Sir  William  Stewart,  Walter  Turnbull, 
his  son,  challenged  the  grant,  on  the  ground  that  at 
the  time  it  was  made  his  father  was  a  leper,  which 
fact  had  been  ascertained  by  the  verdict  of  a  jury. 
King  James  II.  issued  a  writ  of  perambulation  to 
Sir  Archibald  Douglas  of  Cavers,  Sheriff  of  Teviot- 
dale,  who,  after  perambulating  the  lands,  divided 
them  between  the  two  claimants.      Under  this 
division  the  Stewarts  possessed  a  portion  of  the 
lands  till  1622,  and  the  Turnbulls  till  about  the 
same  period.     The  portion  of  the  lands  belonging 
to  the  Stewarts  is  said  to  have  been  acquired  by 
Walter  Kiddell  of  Newhouse,  whose  daughters,  co- 
heiresses, sold  the  same  to  Mr  Gilbert  Elliot,  second 
son  of  Gavin  Elliot  of  Middleham  Mill.     But  I  do 
not  see  any  authority  for  the  statement  that  Mr 
Elliot  purchased  the  barony  of  Minto  from  the 
Riddells.     On  February  28,  1695,  King  William 
granted  to   Gideon  Scott  of  Heychester,  son  of 
Walter,  Earl  of  Tarras,  the  whole  lands  and  barony 
of  Minto,  "  as  well  two  parts  as  third  part  thereof, 
property  and  superiority  of  the  same,  with  all  and 
sundry  castles,   towers,  fortalices,    manor-places, 
houses,  biggings,  yards,  orchards,  mills,  mill-lands, 
multures,  woods,  fishings,  pasturages,  and  all  and 
sundry  the  parts,  pendicles,  and  pertinents  of  the 


312  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

same  whatsoever  ;  and  of  all  and  haill  the  half  of  a 
merkland  of  the  said  lands  of  Minto,  with  the  ad- 
vocation, donation,  and  heritable  right  of  patronage 
of  the  parish  kirk  and  parish  of  Minto,  and  par- 
sonage and  vicarage  teinds  of  the  same,  with  teinds, 
fruits,  rents,  and  emoluments  and  duties  whatso- 
ever belonging  and  pertaining  thereto,  with  the 
power  of  presenting  qualified  and  able  persons  to 
the  said  kirk  and  service  of  the  cure  thereof,  as 
often  and  so  often  as  the  same  shall  vaik,  and  all 
time  thereafter  ;  and  likewise  all  and  haill  the 
lands  of  Craigend  and  Deanfoot,  with  the  parts 
and  pendicles  thereof  whatsoever,  with  the  piece  of 
ground  of  the  mains  of  Minto  lying  between  the 
dyke  called  the  Horseward  and  house  of  Craigend, 
with  the  privilege  of  commonty  and  common  pas- 
ture, and  of  casting,  winning,  and  leading  peats, 
fail,  and  divots  from  the  common  moss  and  com- 
monty of  Minto,  united  and  incorporated  in  ane 
haill  and  free  barony  of  Minto,  to  be  called  the 
barony  of  Minto  ;  with  power  to  the  said  Gideon 
Scott  and  his  heirs  of  keeping  thereat  a  weekly 
market  every  Wednesday,  and  two  fairs  yearly, 
one  upon  the  14th  of  June,  and  the  other  upon  the 
14th  of  November.  On  the  4th  day  of  August 
1703,  a  charter  under  the  great  seal  of  Scotland, 
which  proceeded  on  the  resignation  of  the  said 
Gideon  Scott,  was  granted  by  Her  Majesty,  with 
consent  of  her  commissioners  of  the  Treasury  and 
Exchequer,  to  and  in  favour  of  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot 


313 

of  Minto,  knight  and  baronet,  one  of  the  Senators 
of  the  College  of  Justice,  then  designed  of  Head- 
shaw,  in  liferent  for  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  to 
Gilbert  Elliot,  his  eldest  son,  procreat  between 
him  and  Dame  Jean  Car,*  his  spouse,  and  the 
heirs-male  of  his  body,  which  failing,  to  the  said 
Gilbert  Elliot  himself,  and  heirs-male  of  the  pre- 
sent marriage,  or  any  other  marriage  ;  which  fail- 
ing, to  Robert  Elliot  of  Midlem  Mill;  which  failing, 
to  any  person  or  persons  to  be  named  by  Sir  Gilbert 
by  a  writing  under  his  hand  ;  which  failing,  to  the 
heirs  of  the  said  Sir  Gilbert  whatsoever  ;  of  all  and 
haill  the  barony  of  Minto,  as  above  described  in 
the  grant  to  Gideon  Scott.  It  appears  that  some 
years  previous  to  this  time,  Gilbert  Elliot  held 
the  lands  of  Headshaw,  in  the  parish  of  Ashkirk, 
and  is  designed  in  the  rolls  of  Parliament  as  Mr 
Gilbert  Elliot  of  Headshaw,  advocate,  and  clerk 
to  the  Privy  Council.  On  the  1 1th  day  of  January 
1770,  Mr  Gilbert  Elliot  resigned  the  lands  of 
Headshaw  into  the  hands  of  his  Majesty  King 
William,  and  obtained  a  charter  under  the  great 
seal  in  his  favour,  in  liferent,  and  Gilbert  Elliot, 
his  lawful  son,  of  all  and  haill  the  lands  of  Head- 
shaw, the  lands  of  Crawknows,  lands  of  Clews, 
pendicles,  and  pertinents  of  the  said  lands,  lying 
in  the  parish  and  barony  of  Ashkirk,  regality 
of  Glasgow,  with  the  right  of  patronage  of  the 


*  A  daughter  of  Carr  of  Cavers. 


314  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

parish  kirk  and  parish  of  Ashkirk.  The  charter 
erected  the  said  lands  into  a  free  barony,  to  be 
called  in  all  time  coming  the  barony  of  Headshaw, 
the  mansion-house  of  Headshaw  to  be  the  principal 
messuage  of  the  barony,  to  be  holden  of  his  majesty 
for  payment  of  £15,  6s.  8d.  for  Headshaw  and 
Dryden,  and  40s.  for  the  lands  of  Crawknows  and 
Clews,  in  name  of  feu-ferm,  with  13s.  4d.  of  aug- 
mentation of  the  rental,  and  for  payment  of  Id. 
Scots  money  in  name  of  blench-ferm,  if  asked, 
allenarly,  for  the  barony  and  right  of  patronage 
of  the  kirk  of  Ashkirk.  In  1685,  Mr  Gilbert 
Elliot  was  included  in  the  process  of  treason 
against  the  heirs  of  the  Earl  of  Lowdon,  Sir 
James  Dalrymple  of  Stair,  and  others.  The  sum- 
mons bears,  inter  alia,  that  Sir  John  Cochrane  of 
Ochiltree,  and  George  Lord  Melvil,  Sir  Hugh  and 
Sir  George  Campbell  of  Cessknocks,  John  Weir 
of  Newton,  David  Montgomery  of  Langshaw, 
Thomas  Stewart  of  Cultness,  William  Denholme 
of  Westshiels,  and  Master  Robert  Martin,  some- 
time clerk  to  the  justice  court,  and  Master  Gilbert 
Elliot,  sometime  writer  in  Edinburgh,  went  to 
London  to  conspire  with  the  Earls  of  Shaftesbury 
and  Essex,  Lord  Russell,  and  others  in  England, 
to  rise  in  arms  against  the  king.  Mr  Elliot  was 
also  charged  with  meeting  Sir  Patrick  Home,  the 
Earl  of  Tarras,  George  Pringle  of  Torwoodlee,  and 
Baillie  of  Jerviswoode,  at  the  houses  of  Gallow- 
shiels  and  Torwoodlee,  where  the  treasonable  pro- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  315 

positions  were  treated  of  and  concluded.     He  did 
not  appear  to  answer  to  the  summons.     He  seems 
to  have  been  mixed  up  in  all  the  attempts  made 
by  the  great  and  good  men  of  his  day  to  obtain 
freedom  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates 
of  their  consciences.     He  was  admitted  advocate, 
and  acted  in  a  number  of  cases  on  behalf  of  those 
persons  who  had  been  forfaulted.    Amongst  others, 
for  Gideon  Scott  of  Heychester,  the  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Tarras.     In  1705  he  was  appointed  a  Lord 
of  Session  and  Lord  of  Justiciary.     He  died  in 
1718.      Wodrow  refers    to     him    as  a  man  of 
"unshaken  probity,  and  boldness  against  all  un- 
righteousness and  vice."      His   son    Sir   Gilbert 
succeeded.      He  also  was  appointed  a  Judge  of 
Justiciary.      In   1733   he  became  Lord  Justice- 
Clerk.     During  his  time  great  improvements  were 
carried  out  on  the  estate.     He  died  at  Minto  in 
1766,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Sir  Gilbert, 
who  was  the  first   Sheriff-Depute  of  Roxburgh- 
shire.     He  represented  the  county  of  Selkirk  in 
1754,  and  Roxburghshire  in  1765.     He  died  at 
Marseilles  in  1777.     The  fourth  Sir  Gilbert  was 
possessed  of  eminent  talents.     "In  1793  he  was 
appointed  Governor  of  Toulon,  Viceroy  of  Corsica 
in   1794,   Minister  Plenipotentiary  at  Vienna  in 
1779,  President  of  the  Board  of  Control  in  1806, 
and   Governor-General   of    India   in  1807.      He 
was  created  Baron   Minto,  and  admitted  to  the 
peerage  in  1797,  and  raised  to  the  rank  of  an  Earl 


316  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

in  1812,  with  the  additional  title  of  Viscount  Mel- 
gund.  For  his  eminent  services  in  the  East  he  also 
received  the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament. 
Though  much  of  his  time  was  spent  abroad,  the 
improvements  of  the  paternal  estate  were  con- 
tinued by  Lady  Minto,  daughter  of  Sir  George 
Amyand,  whom  he  married  a  few  weeks  before  his 
father's  death.  The  fifth  Sir  Gilbert,  and  second 
earl,  was  born  in  1782,  married  in  1806  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Patrick  Brydone,  author  of  a  "  Tour 
through  Sicily."  He  was  possessed  of  great  abili- 
ties. He  represented  Ashburton  in  1806-7,  was 
Ambassador  at  Berlin  from  1832  to  1834.  Was 
made  a  Privy  Councillor  in  1832,  G.C.B.  in  1834. 
From  1835  to  September  1841,  he  filled  the  office 
of  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  and  Lord  Privy 
Seal  from  1846  to  1852.  In  September  1847  he 
was  sent  on  a  mission  to  Italy  and  Switzerland. 
He  died  in  1859. 

The  mansion-house  of  Minto  stands  on  the  brink 
of  a  glen  through  which  a  rivulet  flows.  The 
building  of  it  was  finished  in  1814.  It  occupies 
the  site  of  the  old  house  or  tower.  The  grounds 
are  well  wooded.  The  improvements  on  the  estate, 
as  before  mentioned,  were  begun  by  the  second 
Sir  Gilbert.  About  1744,  the  village  of  Minto 
stood  on  the  opposite  bank  to  the  house,  with 
the  church  nearly  in  the  midst  of  it.  The 
greater  part  of  the  houses  of  the  village  were 
removed  to  Minto  Green,  the  site  of  the  present 


KOXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  317 

village.  A  pond-head  was  thrown  across  the  glen, 
and  the  sides  of  it  planted.  On  one  side  a  row  of 
larches  was  placed,  said  to  be  among  the  first  in- 
troduced into  Scotland.  There  is  a  tradition,  says 
Dr  Aitken,  "  that  the  seed  was  sent  in  a  frank  by- 
John,  Duke  of  Argyle,  sown  in  flower-pots,  and 
kept  in  the  hot-house  till,  by  the  advice  of  the 
Sardinian  ambassador,  who  chanced  to  be  on  a 
visit,  the  plants  were  removed  to  their  present 
situation,  where  several  of  them  have  now  attained 
the  height  of  100  feet.  On  the  opposite  bank 
there  is  a  shady  avenue  of  beech,  of  the  same  date 
(1736).*  Before  these  were  planted,  the  only  trees 
near  the  house  consisted  of  an  avenue  of  old  ash,  one 
or  two  of  which  still  exist.  An  ash  tree  standing  near 
the  house,  and  overhanging  the  carriage  road,  is 
67  feet  high  ;  at  two  feet  from  the  ground  the 
circumference  is  15  feet  2  inches  ;  and  contains 
370  feet  of  timber.  On  the  sloping  bank  of  the 
pond-side,  near  to  a  walk,  there  is  a  larch  measur- 
ing 14  feet  in  circumference  three  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  is  90  feet  high,  and  the  trunk  is  41 
feet  in  height  before  sending  out  any  branches. 
In  1859,  a  larch  was  blown  down  in  the  glen, 
which  was  103  feet  high,  and  contained  174  cubic 
feet  of  timber.  About  a  hundred  yards  below  the 
pond  bridge  there  is  a  silver  fir  118  feet  high, 
and  measures  294  cubic  feet  of  timber.     Another 

*  New  Statistical  Account  by  Dr  Aitken. 


318  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

silver  fir  grows  by  the  side  of  the  lowest  walk  in  the 
glen,  and  contains  337  cubic  feet  of  timber,  and 
rises  to  the  height  of  112  feet.  A  tree  of  the  same 
kind,  in  the  nut  walk,  is  97  feet  in  height.  An 
oak  stands  near  the  footpath  leading  from  the  saw- 
mill to  Lillilaw  Lodge  of  67  feet  in  height,  and 
contains  225  cubic  feet  of  timber.  In  Deanfoot- 
burnhaugh,  there  are  a  few  large  willows,  one  of 
them  measuring,  at  a  foot  above  the  ground,  19 
feet  in  circumference.  In  Craigend  Bank,  at  the 
side  of  the  public  road,  a  beech  grows  with  a  trunk 
about  7  feet  in  height,  when  it  diverges  into 
numerous  and  wide- spreading  limbs.  It  measures 
15  feet  2  inches  in  circumference. 

The  old  church  of  Minto  stood  a  small  distance 
from  the  house,  in  a  grove  of  trees.  It  was  taken 
down  in  1831.  One  end  of  the  church  contained 
a  pointed  arch,  some  of  the  stones  ornamented.  It 
is  probable  that  this  part  of  the  church  existed 
previous  to  the  Keformation .  Notices  of  the  church 
of  Mynetowe  are  met  with  as  early  as  the  thirteenth 
century.  In  the  taxt-roll  of  benefices  within  the 
kingdom  of  Scotland  in  1275,  the  church  of  Minto 
is  said  to  be  a  rectory  within  the  diocese  of  Glas- 
gow, deanery  of  Teviotdale,  and  valued  at  £2,  13s. 
4d.*  In  the  month  of  September  1296,  William 
de  Wodehouse,  parson  of  the  church,  swore  fealty 
to  the  English  king  at  Berwick. f     In  1326  John, 

*  Register  of  Glasgow,  vol.  i.  p.  65. 
f  Rotuli  Scotise,  vol.  i.  p.  26,  a. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  319 

the  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  met  the  monks  of  Melrose 
twice  in  this  church,  in  regard  to  differences  as  to 
the  church  of  Mauchlin  and  the  fruits  of  the  vicar- 
age of  Hassinton.  There  were  present,  Walter, 
the  Steward  of  Scotland,  James  of  Douglas,  and 
many  others.*  In  the  writ  addressed  by  Edward 
III.,  of  date  September  8,  1374  to  the  Bishop  of 
Glasgow,  sanctioning  the  exchange  of  the  churches 
of  Yetholm  and  Minto,  as  desired  by  the  parsons, 
Minto  is  said  to  be  within  the  diocese  of  Lincolm. 
But  this  must  be  a  mistake  of  the  clerk,  as  Minto 
never  was  within  the  diocese  of  Lincoln.  Had  it 
been  within  the  diocese  of  Lincoln,  the  writ  would 
have  been  addressed  to  the  bishop  thereof,  and  not 
to  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow.  The  patronage  of  the 
church  remained  with  the  lords  of  the  manor. 

There  is  a  good  parish  school  at  Minto.  The 
teacher  has  the  maximum  salary,  with  the  interest 
of  a  mortification  of  £100.  The  branches  taught 
are  Beading,  Writing,  Arithmetic,  Mathematics, 
Geography,  Latin,  and  French.  He  is  clerk  to  the 
heritors  and  kirk-session,  and  registrar.  Sewing 
is  also  taught  by  a  female,  who  gives  elementary 
instruction  to  the  younger  children.f 

The  minister  concludes  his  account  by  stating 
that  "  there  are  neither  alehouses  nor  tolls,  nor  for 
sometime  past  has  there  been  any  resident  pauper 
in  the  parish." 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  371-394,  Nos.  408  and  430. 
t  New  Statistical  Account. 


320  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

For  a  notice  of  Minto  Crags,  see  vol.  i.,  p.  23, 
and  an  account  of  the  Turnbulls,  vol.  ii.,  p.  326. 

Barony  of  Hassendean. — The  name  of  this 
place  is  thought  to  signify  the  holy  stone  dean. 
In  the  days  of  David  I.  and  Malcolm  IV.,  the  lands 
were  the  property  of  the  crown.  In  1 155  Malcolm 
granted  them  to  Walter,  the  son  of  the  Steward. 
King  Eobert  Bruce  erected  the  territory  into  a  free 
barony  in  favour  of  Sir  James  of  Cunningham, 
with  the  same  boundaries  as  in  the  time  of  Alex- 
ander III.  Edward  Baliol  having  granted  to 
Henry  de  Percy  the  lands  of  Annandale  and  the 
Castle  of  Lochmaben,  he  exchanged  the  same  for 
the  three  towers  of  Jedworth,  and  castle,  and  con- 
stabulary, the  forest  thereof,  and  Hassendean.* 
At  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century  the  lands  were 
restored  to  the  family  of  Cunningham  by  Kobert 
III.  In  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  Walter 
Taylor  held  the  lands,  and  shortly  afterwards  they 
fell  into  the  hands  of  one  of  the  clan  Scott.  At  the 
battle  of  Flodden  field,  Scott  of  Hassendene  was 
slain  with  James  IV.  Scott  of  Hassendene  was 
present  at  the  rescue  of  Kinmont  Willie  from  the 
castle  of  Carlisle.  A  number  of  persons  held  por- 
tions'of  the  territory,  from  which  they  derived 
their  surnames. 

Walter,  the  son  of  Alan,  the  Steward  of  Scotland, 
when  he  founded  the  monastery  of  Paisley,  granted 


*  Rotuli  Scotise,  vol.  i.  p.  729. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  321 

to  the  monks  a  carrucate  of  land  at  Hastendene, 
which  was  held  by  Walter  the  Chaplain.  William 
the  Lion  gave  the  same  monks  a  ploughgate  of 
land  in  the  same  territory,  with  common  pasture, 
and  freedom  from  multure  at  his  mill.  The  monks 
gave  up  the  ploughgate  granted  by  Walter  the 
Steward.  This  land,  called  Huntlaw,  formed  part 
of  the  regality  of  Paisley  in  1396.  The  plough- 
gate  was  confirmed  to  the  monks  by  a  bull  of  Pope 
Clement  IV. 

Chalmers  says  that  the  monks  of  Melros  ob- 
tained from  Joceline,  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  who  was 
formerly  Abbot  of  Melros,  the  manor  and  tithes 
of  Hastendene,  for  the  reception  of  the  poor  and 
helpless  who  were  journeying  to  Melros.  He  is 
mistaken,  as  it  was  only  the  lands  of  the  church 
and  its  tithes  that  were  given  to  the  convent  for 
such  pious  purposes,  reserving  only  the  episcopal 
dues  and  a  yearly  pension  of  20s.,  to  be  paid  to  the 
church  of  Glasgow.  King  William,  while  con- 
firming this  grant,  restricted  the  right  of  the 
monks  to  pasture  for  10  score  of  ewes,  16  oxen, 
and  4  cows.  During  the  war  of  independence, 
the  flocks  of  the  monks  having  been  carried  away, 
and  their  places  far  and  near  destroyed,  Wischart, 
Bishop  of  Glasgow,  gave  them  for  twenty  years  all 
the  fruits  of  the  vicarage  of  Hassendean,  to  be  con- 
verted into  a  pittance  for  the  poor,  at  the  discretion 
and  sight  of  the  prior.  This  was  disputed  by  John 
Lindsay,  as  before  mentioned,  but  the  monks  pro- 


322  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

duced  their  charter  at  the  meeting  in  the  church 
of  Minto,  and  the  bishop  approved  thereof,  and 
confirmed  the  same. 

The  church  of  Hassendean  stood  on  the  projec- 
ting bank,  at  the  junction  of  the  burn  with  the 
Teviot.  From  its  site  being  exposed  to  the  en- 
croachments of  the  river,  it  became  ruinous,  but 
the  church-yard  was  still  continued  for  burying  up 
to  1796,  when  an  unusually  high  flood  tore  open 
the  graves,  and  made  it  necessary  to  remove  the 
remains  of  the  dead.  The  river  has  continued  to 
alter  its  bed  till  it  appears,  from  measurements  in 
the  possession  of  the  proprietor  of  Hassendean  Burn, 
that  the  site  of  the  old  church  is  now  marked  by  a 
sandbank  on  the  opposite  side,  nearly  in  a  line  with 
the  termination  of  a  garden  wall.* 

Hassendean  Burn,  Horsleyhill,  and  Hunt- 
law,  part  of  the  barony  of  Hassendean  and  the  re- 
gality of  Paisley,  now  belong  to  Mr  Dickson.  The 
mansion-house,  which  occupies  a  beautiful  situation 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Teviot,  was  built  during  the 
end  of  last  century  by  Kobert  Dickson.  He  was  the 
father  of  Mr  Dickson,  who  established  nurseries  on 
the  lands,  and  also  at  Hawick,  which  contained  all 
kinds  of  foreign  and  native  forest  trees,  fruit  trees, 
flower  roots  and  plants,  and  flowering  shrubs.  •  It 
was  extended  to  Leith  and  Perth.  Horsleyhill, 
during  the  sixteenth  century, belonged  to  the  Scotts, 


New  Statistical  Account.     Vide  vol.  ii.  pp.  21,  22. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  323 

and  thereafter  to  a  family  of  Elliot.  There  was 
once  a  tower  or  peel  at  this  place,  but  no  vestige  of 
it  now  remains. 
Briery  Yards,  or  Brier  Yards,  and  Braidleys, 
ormed  part  of  the  barony  of  Hassendean.  Before 
the  sixteenth  century  these  lands  belonged  to  Cuth- 
bert,  Earl  of  Glencardine,  and  on  their  being  for- 
feited by  him  by  reason  of  having  alienated  a  part 
of  them,  King  James  IV.  granted  them  to  Murray 
of  Blackbarony.  In  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century  the  lands  belonged  to  William  Scott  of 
Chamerlain  Newton.  They  now  belong  to  a  family 
of  Turnbull. 


324  THE   HISTORY   AND    ANTIQUITIES   OF 


CHAPTER  XL 

OF   THE   BARONY   OF   CAVERS. 

Cavers  is  the  British  Cae-ver,  signifying  fields 
or  enclosures.  The  name  is  seen  in  the  ' '  Inquisitio  " 
of  David  1116,  but  it  is  uncertain  to  which  place 
in  Roxburghshire  of  that  name  it  applied.  There 
can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  Caveres  in  the 
work  of  Reginald  of  Durham  is  the  church  of  this 
barony. 

The  territory  lies  on  the  south  side  of  the  river 
Teviot,  and  extends  from  the  water  of  Rule  on  the 
east  westward  for  about  twenty-four  miles,  and  from 
eight  to  two  miles  in  breadth.  It  is  intersected 
near  the  middle  by  the  parishes  of  Hawick  and 
Kirkton,  for  about  the  distance  of  six  miles,  from 
Weensland  Mill  below  Hawick  to  the  junction  of 
the  Allan  Water  with  the  Teviot  above  that  town, 
so  as  to  make  the  territory  resemble  a  sandglass. 
On  the  south  and  north-west  it  is  bounded  by  Lid- 
disdale  and  the  county  of  Dumfries.  The  barony 
comprehended  a  number  of  smaller  baronies  within 
its  bounds. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  325 

In  the  reign  of  Malcolm  IV.  part  of  the  lands  seem 
to  have  belonged  to  Osulf  the  son  of  Uctred,  who 
was  one  of  the  witnesses  to  the  foundation  charter 
of  Melros.  In  the  reign  of  that  king  this  Osulf, 
with  the  consent  of  Uctred,  his  son  and  heir,  granted 
the  lands  of  Ringwood  to  the  convent  of  Melros,  by 
the  following  boundaries,  viz. : — "  From  the  place 
where  the  Alewent  falls  into  the  Teviot,  upwards 
to  Blackapol,  and  so  to  Bollines  burne,  and  so  thence 
to  Crumburche,  and  thence  straight  across  as  far  as 
Penango,  and  from  Penango  straight  across  as  far 
as  the  Alewent,  and  thence  upward  as  far  as  the 
Brunemore  upon  Dod,  and  so  far  as  Blackaburne, 
and  thence  to  the  point  where  that  burn  falls  into 
the  Alewent."  Osulf  also  granted  to  the  monks 
sole  right  to  the  game  within  these  bounds.  This 
grant  was  confirmed  by  Malcolm  IV.  In  the  reign 
of  William  the  Lion,  Uctred,  who  had  consented  to 
his  father  bestowing  the  land  on  the  monks,  con- 
firmed to  them  the  grant,  with  consent  of  Thomas, 
his  son  and  heir.*  It  was  also  confirmed  by  the 
king's  chamberlain,  Philip  de  Valoniis,  for  the 
safety  of  the  souls  of  David  the  King,  his  son 
Henry,  King  Malcolm,t  and  my  Lord  William, 
King  of  Scotland,  &c.  This  grant  was  confirmed 
by  William  the  King,  and  by  Alexander  II.,  and 
David  II.  It  would  appear  that  this  grant  com- 
prehended all  the  land  lying  above  the  place  where 
the  Alewent  joins  the  Teviot,  with  the  Alewent  for 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  p.  189.        f  Ibid.,  p.  140. 


326  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

its  eastern  boundary.  About  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century  the  Earl  of  Douglas  added  "  all 
his  lands  of  Penangushhope  and  lower  Caldcleuch, 
with  pertinents,"  according  to  the  same  uses  and 
purposes  as  they  held  the  lands  of  Ringwoodfield, 
in  the  same  barony,  and  which  lay  close,  to  Penan- 
gushhope and  Caldcleuch,  and  that  the  monks 
should,  by  one  of  their  number,  celebrate  divine 
service  at  the  altar  of  St  Bride,  in  the  monastery 
of  Melros,  before  which  the  body  of  William 
Douglas  de  Laudonia  lay.*  Eobert  II.  confirmed 
this  grant.  These  grants  seem  to  have  compre- 
hended within  them  the  new  parish  of  Teviothead. 
At  the  Reformation  these  lands  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Buccleuch.  In  the  taxt  roll  of  the  abbey  Ring- 
wodfielde  is  entered  as  of  the  value  of  £700,  pay- 
ing a  blenche  duty  of  £50.  Ringwodfielde  consisted 
of  the  following  lands: — The  Burgh,  Stobecut, 
Ringwodhatt,  Bowandhill,  Grange,  Priesthaugh, 
Penangushhope,  Westoure,  Northhous,  Soudenrig, 
and  Caldcleuch.  On  this  territory  the  monks  ap- 
pear to  have  built  a  church  or  chapel  near  the 
springs  of  a  rivulet  which  flows  into  the  Teviot  to 
the  west  of  the  Alewent  water,  at  a  place  called 
Old  North  House.  Mr  Henry  Riddell,  who  wrote 
the  New  Account  of  the  parish,  says,  "  that  there  is 
here  (Old  North  House)  an  old  burial-place,  though 
so  much  decayed  as  scarcely  to  be  recognizable  ; 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  p.  429. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  327 

and  the  writer  of  this  has  conversed  with  two  old 
and  respectable  individuals  of  this  district  who 
could  remember  two  persons  being  interred  in  the 
kirkyard.  Their  graves  are  still  discernable  by  the 
careful  observer,  together  with  a  number  of  what 
may  have  been  whin  headstones  kything  around, 
but  whose  tops  are  now  level  with  the  green  sward 
above.  Sheepfolds  now  occupy  the  place  where 
the  church  is  said  to  have  stood." 

In  1325  Robert  I.  bestowed  on  the  good  Sir 
James  Douglas  many  lands,  including  the  barony 
of  Cavers,  and  erected  the  whole  into  a  regality. 
The  charter,  by  which  the  king  made  the  grant,  is 
called  the  "  Emerald  Charter/'  The  descendants 
of  Sir  James  Douglas  were  overlords  of  the  whole 
barony  till  1455,  when  they  incurred  forfeiture. 
Previous  to  the  forfeiture,  a  portion  of  the  barony 
seems  to  have  been  possessed  by  Archibald  Douglas, 
said  to  be  an  illegitimate  son  of  the  second  Earl 
Douglas,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Otterburn.  He 
is  said  to  have  left  two  illegitimate  sons,  William 
Douglas  of  Drumlanrig,  and  Archibald  the  first  of 
Cavers.  Archibald  Douglas  carried  his  father's 
standard  at  the  battle  of  Otterburn,  and  which  is 
still  preserved  at  Cavers.  He  obtained  the  lands 
of  Cavers,  and  the  Sheriffwick  of  Teviotdale. 
These  lands,  and  the  office  of  heritable  Sheriff, 
continued  in  the  family  till  the  abolition  of  heri- 
table jurisdictions,  when  they  obtained  the  sum  of 
£1666,  13s.  4d,  as  a  compensation  for  the  loss  of 


328  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

the  office*  The  lands  and  office  were,  for  a  short 
time  after  1405,  in  the  hands  of  Sir  David  Fleming 
of  Biggar,  and  after  his  assassination  by  one  of  the 
Douglases,  King  James  I.  confirmed  the  grant  by 
the  Countess  of  Mar  in  favour  of  Douglas.  The 
lands  still  remain  in  the  same  family. 

The  lands  of  Cavers,  as  possessed  by  the  Sheriff 
and  his  descendants,  included  Denholm  or  Demon, 
which  was  originally  the  possession  of  a  family 
who  derived  a  surname  from  the  lands.  The 
owner,  Gwy  of  Denum,  swore  fealty  to  Edward  in 
1296.f  When  the  territory  came  into  the  hands 
of  Douglas,  he  granted  part  of  it,  viz.,  Foulersland 
and  Little  Kulewood,  to  Thomas  Cranstoun,  about 
the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century.  About  the 
same  time,  the  lands  of  Kulewood  (the  greater)  were 
held  by  a  family  of  Gourlaw,  in  which  they  were 
confirmed  by  Malcolm  of  Drummond,  lord  of  Mar 
and  Garioch,  and  baron  of  Cavers,  in  1390.  The 
same  family  held  the  lands  till  after  the  Reforma- 
tion. Part  of  the  lands  of  Denum  were  also 
possessed  by  Robert  Muirhead  of  Windyhills. 

The  lands  and  barony  of  Stobs  was  also  com- 
prehended in  the  old  barony  of  Cavers.  About 
the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century,  David  II. 
granted   the   barony  of  Stobs,  lying  within  the 

*  For  notices  of  this  family  as  Sheriffs,  see  vol.  ii. 
pp.  19-22. 

t  Rotuli  Scotise,  vol.  i.  p.  26. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  329 

barony  of  Cavers,  to  Thomas  Cranston,  mentioned 
above.  Previously  to  1368,  part  of  the  barony  of 
Stobs  was  held  by  the  Earl  of  Mar,  and  his  brother 
Thomas  Baliol,  under  the  Earl  of  Douglas.  In 
that  year  Baliol  resigned  Langside,  Penchrise, 
Staineyshope,  and  Singlee,  into  the  hands  of  the 
overlord.  During  the  fifteenth  century,  the  terri- 
tory belonged  to  the  family  of  Elliots  of  Lariston. 
The  first  of  the  Elliots  of  Stobs  was  Gavin,  second 
son  of  Elliot  of  Lariston,  who  seems  to  have  been 
the  progenitor  of  all  the  branches  of  the  modern 
Elliots.  In  1640,  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  was  created  a 
Knight-Baronet  by  Charles  I.  in  person,  at  the 
battle  of  Scone,  and  in  1666,  a  Baronet  of  Nova 
Scotia.  His  youngest  grandson,  George  Augustus, 
was  General  Elliot,  the  gallant  defender  of  Gib- 
raltar. He  served  for  a  time  in  the  Prussian 
army,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Dettingen. 
In  1775,  he  was  appointed  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  forces  in  Ireland,  from  whence  he  was,  at 
his  own  request,  recalled  and  sent  as  Governor 
to  Gibraltar,  which  he  defended  with  consummate 
skill  for  three  years  against  the  combined  fleets  of 
France  and  Spain.  George  III.  conferred  on  him 
the  order  of  the  Bath.  On  his  return  to  England 
in  1787  he  was  created  Lord  Heathfield,  Baron 
Gibraltar.  He  died  in  1790.  On  the  death  of  his 
son,  Francis  Augustus,  in  1803,  the  title  became 
extinct. 

The  lands  of  Stobs  are  still  possessed  by  a  lineal 


330  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

descendant,  Sir  William  Francis  Elliot,  baronet, 
who  is  also  owner  of  the  estate  of  Wells  on  the 
Rule. 

The  barony  of  Feurule  lay  also  within  the  old 
barony  of  Cavers.  It  consisted  of  Feurule,  Helm, 
Middle  and  Hanginside.  At  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  barony  belonged  to  Ker  of  Ferniehirst, 
and  in  the  next  century  was  the  property  of  Lord 
Hereis. 

The  old  castle  of  the  barony  stood  not  far  from 
the  old  church  of  Cavers.  It  was  the  residence  of 
the  sheriffs  from  the  fourteenth  century  to  modern 
times.  Under  shelter  of  the  castle  a  town  arose, 
which  was  destroyed  by  Hertford  in  his  raid  of 
September  1543.  In  1556  it  was  again  laid  waste 
by  the  English,  from  which  it  never  recovered. 
The  only  other  town  or  village  now  existing  is 
Denholm,  standing  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Teviot, 
not  far  from  the  eastern  limits  of  the  barony.  The 
houses  are  well  built,  in  the  form  of  a  square,  with 
a  large  green  in  the  centre.  In  the  middle  of 
this  green  is  a  monument,  erected  by  subscription 
in  1861,  to  Dr  Leyden,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
village. 

The  present  church  was  built  with  a  view  to 
accommodate  the  inhabitants  of  the  lower  division 
of  the  parish.  It  was  erected  in  1822,  and  is 
seated  for  500.  The  building  is  substantial  and 
elegant.     The  manse  was  built  in  1813. 

The  editor  of  the  "  Origines  Parochiales"  says  that 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  331 

"  the  original  parish  church  is  said  to  have  stood 
in  the  upper  division  of  the  parish,  at  Old  North 
House,  between  the  Allan  and  the  Teviot,  where 
there  are  still  vestiges  of  a  burying  ground.     This 
tradition  derives  great  probability  from  the  men- 
tion made  in  '  Authentic  Records  of  the  Church  of 
Great  Cavers/  given  to  the  monks  of  Melros,  on 
whose  property  North  House  lay,  and  also  of  the 
church  of  'Little   Cavers/  the  parson  of  which, 
Maurice  Lovel,  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I.  in  1296, 
facts  which  indicate  the  original  existence  of  the 
two  divisions  as  separate  parishes,  their  subsequent 
union,  and  the  entire  suppression  of  the  church  of 
Great  Cavers/'     But  I  do  not  think  there  is  any 
good  authority  for  holding  that  the  original  parish 
church  was  situated  in  the  upper  division  of  the 
parish.     When  Osulf  of  Ringwude  gave  the  terri- 
tory of  Ringwude  to  the  monks  of  Melros,  there  is 
no  mention  of  a  church  existing  at  that  place.    The 
boundaries  of  the   grant   include   North   House, 
where  the  church  is  said  to  have   stood.     It  is 
more  probable  that  a  church  was  erected  by  the 
monks  within  their  territory  for  their  servants  and 
persons  in  the  neighbourhood.     Neither  is  there 
any  mention  of  a   church   at   Ringwude  in  the 
charter  of  Earl  Douglas  confirming  the  grant  of 
Osulf  and  bestowing  additional  land  on  the  monks. 
Besides,  the  church  of  Cavers  is  mentioned  in  the 
"  Inquisitio"  of  David  in  1116  as  then  the  property 
of  the  Church  of  Glasgow.     It  is  also  referred  to 


332  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

by  Keginald  of  Durham,  while  noticing  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  St  Cuthbert  standing  on  the  margin 
of  the  Slitrith.  "  Post  pii  patris  Cuthberti  obitum, 
multorum  accendit  animas  devotio  fidelium  ejus 
honori  sua  territoria  dedicare,  et  Deo  in  ipsuis 
nomine  plures  ecclesias  fundatas  consecrare.  De 
quarum  numero  infinito,  quaedam  capella  ab  anti- 
quo  ab  atavis  progenitoribus  in  provincia  que 
Teviotdale  dicitur,  fundata  fuit :  qui  locus  a  pis- 
cosi  fluminis  vicinitate,  qui  secus  ilium  in  proximo 
praeterfluit,  Slitrith  nomen  accepit,  que  matricis 
ecclesiaa,  Caveres  vocatae,  capella  existit ; "  * — which 
may  be  rendered,  "  After  the  death  of  the  pious 
Cuthbert,  devotion  stirred  up  the  souls  of  many 
of  the  faithful  to  dedicate  in  his  honour,  and  to 
consecrate  to  God,  in  his  name,  more  churches, 
founded  in  his  territory.  Of  the  infinite  number 
of  which,  a  certain  chapel  had  anciently  been 
founded  by  his  remote  ancestors  in  the  province 
called  Teviotdale,  at  a  place  in  the  vicinity  of  a 
stream  full  of  fish  named  Slitrith,  which,  according 
to  his  account,  flowed  near  by  where  the  chapel 
of  the  mother  church  of  Cavers  stood."  "  Great 
Cavers "  appears  for  the  first  time  in  the  grant  of 
William,  the  first  Earl  of  Douglas,  to  the  monks  of 
Melros,  to  the  patronage  of  the  church,  "  with  its 
chapels,  lands,  rents,  mansions,  rights,  titles,  fruits, 
casualties,  and  all  other  pertinents."  It  is  not  men- 
tioned as  Great  Cavers  in  the  confirmation  charter 

*  Reginald,  p.  284. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  333 

of  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow.  But  may  there  not  have 
been  two  towns  of  the  name  of  Cavers,  the  one 
greater  than  the  other,  and  distinguished  from  each 
other  as  "  Great  Cavers"  and  "  Little  Cavers."  It  is 
not  improbable  that  Kirkton  may  have  been  the 
church  of  which  Maurice  Lovel  was  parson,  and 
named  Little  Cavers  in  the  rolls  of  the  English  king. 
Nearly  all  what  is  now  called  Kirkton  lay  in  the 
old  barony  of  Hawick,  of  which  the  Lovels  were 
regal  lords.  The  church  of  Kirkton  is  not  noticed 
at  an  early  period,  and  even  at  the  present  day 
many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Cavers  parish  worship 
at  Kirkton.  I  do  not  think  the  parish  church  ever 
stood  on  the  upper  division  of  the  barony.  Another 
reason  in  support  of  the  view  that  "  Great  Cavers" 
is  the  Cavers  of  the  present  day  is,  that  the  castle 
and  baronial  town  have  occupied  the  position  they 
now  do  from  the  fourteenth  century,  and  been 
called  Cavers. 

As  before  stated,  William,  the  first  Earl  of 
Douglas,  granted  to  the  monks  of  Melrose  the 
patronage  of  the  church  of  Great  Cavers,  with  its 
chapels,  lands,  rents,  mansions,  rights,  tithes,  fruits, 
casualties,  and  all  other  pertinents.  In  the  year 
following,  the  grant  was  confirmed  by  David  II. 
It  was  also  confirmed  about  the  same  time  by  the 
Bishop  of  Glasgow,  at  the  demission  or  death  of 
William  Toftys,  then  rector.  The  bishop,  how- 
ever, reserved  "  to  himself  and  successors  the  can- 
onical obedience  of  the  abbot  and  his  successors, 


334  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

as  rector  and  rectors  of  the  church,  together  with 
jurisdiction  of  all  sorts  over  the  church,  the  vicar, 
and  the  parishioners;  ordaining  also  that  the  monks 
should  present  to  the  bishop,  within  term  of  law, 
a  qualified  vicar  for  the  cure,  otherwise  they  should 
lose  the  right  of  presentation,  pro  ilia  vice  ;  and 
that  the  vicar  should  annually  have  twenty-five 
marks  out  of  the  fruits  of  the  church  lands,  half  of 
the  land,  and  a  manse,  all  of  which  the  bishop 
deemed  a  canonical  allowance,  sufficient  for  the 
vicar's  maintenance,  and  for  payment  of  all  the 
ordinary  burdens  for  which  the  vicar  alone  should 
be  responsible,  the  rector  and  vicar  to  be  held 
bound  for  the  extraordinary  burdens,  according  to 
their  respective  portions  of  the  fruits."*  Although 
the  bishop  issued  a  mandate  to  the  Dean  of  Teviot- 
dale  to  put  the  monks  in  possession  of  the  church, 
it  was  many  years  before  they  got  actual  posses- 
sion. Robert  II.  confirmed  the  grant  in  their 
favour,  and  in  1388,  the  Earl  of  Douglas  and  Mar 
renewed  the  original  grant.  About  the  end  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  the  monks  represented  to 
Pope  Clement  VII.,  that  owing  to  hostile  incur- 
sions, their  abbey  and  its  possessions  were  so  des- 
troyed, that  they  had  not  sufficient  to  maintain 
themselves  ;  on  which  the  Pope  annexed  the  church 
of  Cavers  to  the  abbey,  with  all  its  fruits.  Bene- 
dict  XIII.    perpetually  annexed  the  church  as 

*  Lib.  de  Melro?,  pp.  433,  434,  No.  456 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  335 

mensal  to  the  monastery,  and  commanded  the 
Abbot  of  Kelso  to  give  the  annexation  full  effect. 
Accordingly,  in  November  1404,  the  Abbot  of 
Kelso  proceeded  to  the  church,  and  read  the  bull 
of  the  Pope,  when  there  appeared,  as  procurator  for 
the  Abbot  of  Melros,  Eobert,  a  monk  of  that 
monastery,  to  whom  was  given  real  and  corporal 
possession  of  the  church,  by  causing  him  to 
take  hold  of  the  horns  of  the  altar,  and  go 
through  the  ceremonies  used  on  such  occasions, 
in  presence  of  a  number  of  parishioners,  who  were 
enjoined  by  the  Abbot  of  Kelso,  on  pain  of  excom- 
munication, to  admit  the  monks,  or  any  person 
deputed  by  them  for  the  purpose,  to  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  the  fruits  of  the  benefice.  The  notary 
who  officiated  was  James  of  Fawside,  and  the 
witnesses  were  the  Abbot  of  Dryburgh,  Master 
William  and  Mr  Thomas  de  Forest  of  Soudon, 
Nicholas  de  Crawford,  John  de  Burne,  John  de 
Caverton.  canons  of  the  monasteries  of  Kelso, 
Melrose,  and  Dryburgh  respectively,  and  the  noble 
men,  James  de  Grledstones,  Thomas  de  Gledstones, 
Gilbert  de  Lawedir.*  Two  years  afterwards  an 
inquiry  was  made  in  the  church  of  Maccarston  by 
the  same  abbot,  under  mandate  from  the  pope,  into 
the  genuineness  of  the  charters  in  their  favour 
granted  by  the  Earls  of  Douglas  and  Mar,  and 
King  David  II.  and  Kobert  III.,  and  being  found 

*  Lib.  de  Melros,  pp.  484-6. 


336  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

genuine,  confirmed  them.  The  titles  of  the  monks 
were  again  examined  and  ratified  by  James  I.  in 
1482.*  At  the  Reformation  the  church  of  Cavers 
was  given  by  James  VI.  to  James  Douglas,  as 
commendator  of  the  abbey  of  Melros.  About  1 608 
the  commendator  resigned  the  parish  church  of 
Cavers,  along  with  the  lands,  teinds,  and  other 
pertinents  of  the  monastery,  into  the  hands  of  the 
king.  After  the  Reformation  the  patronage  of  the 
church  was  granted  to  Douglas  of  Cavers.  The 
grant  was  ratified  by  Parliament  in  June  1649. 
The  patronage  is  still  in  the  same  family.  It  is 
hardly  possible  to  read  the  notices  of  this  church 
without  being  satisfied  that  the  parish  church  of 
Cavers  has  always  stood  near  to  the  castle  and 
town  of  Cavers. 

The  parish  church  of  Cavers  now  treated  of  is  not 
the  church  dedicated  to  St  Cuthbert.  The  chapel 
so  dedicated  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Slitrith, 
and  was  a  chapel  of  ease  to  the  mother  church 
of  Cavers.  As  it  was  one  of  the  places  where  the 
bearers  of  the  saint's  body  rested  in  their  first  flight 
from  Lindisfarne  to  escape  the  Danes,  a  chapel 
was  built  and  dedicated  to  the  saint.  Wherever 
the  monks  lingered  for  a  while  with  their  precious 
burden,  a  church  or.  chapel  was  dedicated  in  after 
times  to  St  Cuthbert.  It  is  not  known  when  the 
monks  with  the  body  of  the  saint  visited  Cavers, 
but  it  must  have  been  between  875  and  883.  The 
holy  water  stone  placed  outside  the  door  of  this 

*  Lib.  de  Melrus,  p.  532. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  337 

church  is  mentioned  by  Keginald  of  Durham,  who 
also  describes  the  devotions  and  amusements  of  the 
people  collected  there  on  the  feast  of  St  Cuthbert, 
and  miracles  that  took  place  at  the  church. 

Keginald,  who  wrote  about  the  middle  of  the 
twelfth  century,  obtained  his  information  as  to  the 
occurrences  which  took  place  at  this  little  chapel 
chiefly  from  Dolfin,  who  was  parson  of  the  church 
of  Cavers.  In  his  day  the  stone  walls  only  re- 
mained, and  the  holy  water  stone,  with  a  cavity  in 
the  top,  stood  in  the  burying-ground  outside  the 
door  of  the  chapel.  Although  in  this  ruinous  state, 
the  chapel  was  much  resorted  to  on  the  feast  of  St 
Cuthbert  (20th  of  March),  by  the  old  from  feelings 
of  devotion,  and  by  the  young  for  dancing  and 
amusement.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  a  great 
number  of  old  and  young  persons  were  assembled 
at  the  chapel  to  commemorate  the  feast  of  the 
saint,  when  a  great  storm  of  wind,  rain,  and  snow 
arose,  and  forced  them  to  take  shelter  within  its 
ruined  walls.  The  storm  still  continuing,  the  per- 
sons assembled  were  forced  to  remain  within  the 
roofless  chapel  during  the  night.  When  day  broke 
it  was  seen  that  while  the  ground  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  sacred  place  bore  traces  of  the  fury  of  the 
storm,  besides  being  covered  with  snow,  all  within 
the  sacred  boundary  had  been  protected,  and  not  a 
drop  of  rain  or  flake  of  snow  had  fallen  in  the  holy 
precincts.  Another  legend  is,  that  there  lived  near 
the  chapel  a  poor  widow  woman,  whose  all  con- 

Y 


338  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

sisted  of  a  little  flock  of  sheep,  on  the  produce  of 
which  she  entirely  depended  for  support.  Being 
too  poor  to  pay  for  a  shepherd  to  tend  her  little 
flock  on  the  mountains  of  the  district,  which  were 
infested  by  ravenous  wolves,  the  poor  widow  every 
morning  committed  her  flock  to  the  protection  of 
the  saint.  While  other  flocks,  which  were  guarded 
by  a  shepherd,  suffered  from  the  wolves,  the  poor 
widow's  always  returned  safe  home.  Once  only  a 
pack  of  hungry  wolves  met  the  little  flock  in  the 
wilds,  and  seven  of  the  pack  broke  after  the  sheep, 
who  turned  and  fled  affrighted  to  the  chapel,  fol- 
lowed by  the  wolves.  On  the  sheep  crossing  the 
limits  of  the  burying-ground  the  wolves  attempted 
to  follow,  but  could  not  cross  the  march,  and,  what 
was  wonderful,  the  timid  sheep  felt  no  further 
alarm,  but  turned  upon  the  wolves,  and  with  their 
horns  and  heads  opposed  the  efforts  of  the  pack  to 
pass  the  boundary,  till  the  farmers,  shepherds,  and 
ploughmen,  and  others  who  lived  near,  ran  to  the 
assistance  of  the  sheep,  and  the  wolves  fled  to  the 
forest.  The  sheep  were  then  restored  to  the  poor 
widow,  who  ascribed  their  safety  to  St  Cuthbert, 
in  which  belief  she  was  joined  by  all  the  people. 
A  third  legend  is,  that  when  William,  King  of 
Scotland,  had  made  an  invasion  into  England,  and 
wasted  the  country  as  far  as  Yorkshire,  a  person 
called  Hugh  Fleming,  residing  at  Maltune,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  York,  took  refuge  in  Teviotdale, 
where  he  remained  for  some  time.   Becoming  anxious 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  339 

to  return  to  his  own  land,  he  dared  not  stir  for  fear 
of  the  enemy.  In  his  strait  he  entered  the  chapel, 
and  implored  the  aid  of  St  Cuthbert,  and  after 
prayer  a  deep  sleep  fell  upon  him,  during  which 
he  dreamed  that  the  saint  appeared  to  him,  and 
told  him  to  go  in  the  morning  to  the  holy  water 
stone,  standing  in  the  grave-yard,  and  take  from  it 
a  small  portion  of  the  moss  which  adhered  to  it,  and 
put  the  same  under  his  hood  on  his  head,  and  he 
would  be  safe.  Fleming  did  as  he  was  told,  which 
rendered  him  invisible,  and  he  passed  through  his 
enemies,  and1  returned  to  his  home.*  The  whole 
country  was  studded  with  little  chapels,  and  the 
parish  system  was  in  full  operation  before  the  large 
monasteries  were  founded.  It  is  thought  the  local- 
ity of  this  chapel  was  at  Cogs-Knoives,  signifying 
God 5-Knowes,  or  knowes  set  apart  for  God's  use, 
or  a  religious  purpose. 

Another  chapel  stood  at  Carlenriggs,  in  the  up- 
per division  of  the  parish,  also  a  chapel  of  ease  to 
the  mother  church.  The  territory  annexed  to  the 
little  chapel  has  now  been  formed  into  a  parish, 
under  the  name  of  Teviothead.  It  would  appear 
that  there  were  of  old  two  towns  of  that  name.  In 
1514,  some  months  after  the  battle  of  Flodden, 
Lord  Dacre  reported  to  the  Council  of  England 
that  he  had  burned  and  laid  waste  "  the  two 
towns  of  Carlenriggs,  with  the  demesynes  of  the 
same,  whereupon   was  forty  pleughes."     In  the 

*  Reginald,  cxxxvi.  cxli. 


340         THE  HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES  OP 

same  report  Dacre  says,  that  "  the  water  of  Ale, 
from  Ashkirk  to  Alemoor,  in  the  said  middle 
marches,  whereupon  was  fifty  ploughs,  lyes  all  and 
every  of  them  waist  now,  and  no  corne  sawne 
upon  none  of  the  said  grounds." 

On  the  north  east  point  of  the  barony  stood  an 
hospital  or  an  asylum  for  pilgrims,  and  the  dis- 
eased and  poor.  There  are  now  no  remains  of  it. 
The  patronage  of  the  hospital  was  also  in  Douglas 
of  Cavers. 

The  barony  possesses  almost  every  variety  of 
hill  and  dale,  glen  and  shaw,  soil  and  pasturage. 
Its  principal  characteristics  are  well  pointed  out 
by  Mr  Riddell.  "  The  lower  department,  though 
undulating,  is  yet  upon  the  whole  flat,  and  in  a 
state  of  regular  and  well-conducted  cultivation, 
with  hedges  and  hedgerow  trees  for  enclosures,  and 
portions  of  thriving  plantations  suitably  inter- 
spersed ;  while  the  upper  part  is  almost  altogether 
of  a  pastoral  character,  and  in  a  state  of  nature 
diversified  with  lonely  wild  and  stream,  green  hill 
and  deep  glen.  From  Pencrestpen,  a  little  pyra- 
midical  mountain  lying  south  of  Stobs  Castle, 
where  the  pastoral  part  of  the  parish  may  be  said 
fairly  to  commence,  to  Teviotstone,  where  it  termi- 
nates, a  distance  of  about  fourteen  miles,  an  inter- 
esting family  of  hills  lift  up  their  heads,  remarkable 
for  their  rotund  and  distinct  appearance,  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  interwoven  with  one 
another.     The  largest  and  loftiest  of  these  moun- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  341 

tains  is  the  Wisp,  immediately  above  Moss  Paul, 
rising  1830  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  But  it 
is  not  so  much  either  its  largeness  or  its  height 
which  renders  it  remarkable,  as  its  position,  and 
the  diversified  prospect  which  it  commands.  From 
its  summit  the  sea  at  Berwick-upon-Tweed  is  ob- 
served to  the  eastward  ;  to  the  south  and  west  the 
Solway  Firth,  and,  if  the  atmosphere  be  clear,  the 
Isle  of  Man.  Tutop,  Pikethowe,  Caldcleuch,  Gret- 
moor,  and  some  others  in  this  vicinity,  are  computed 
to  be  nearly  of  the  same  elevation.  But  besides 
these,  there  are  a  few  hills  in  this  parish  which 
serve  to  impress  upon  it  a  peculiar  character. 
These,  from  their  isolated  positions,  appear  like 
pyramids  in  the  wilderness,  conveying  the  idea  that 
the  district  must  at  one  time  have  been  visited 
from  the  west  by  some  violent  inundation,  sweep- 
ing almost  every  thing  along  with  it.  The  little 
conical  mountains  referred  to  are  the  Maidenpaps, 
Leaphill,  Pencrest,  and  Skelfhillpen.  The  last  of 
these  is  the  most  remarkable.  On  the  south  side 
it  rises  abruptly  out  of  a  deep  glen  ;  on  the  north, 
it  ascends  more  gradually,  till  attaining  to  a  certain 
height  it  becomes  somewhat  rocky  and  rugged,  and 
then  contracting  itself  suddenly,  it  towers  yet 
higher,  presenting  a  peak  like  the  spire  of  some 
edifice  "  reared  by  human  hands." 


342  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  AGRICULTURE  AND  ROADS. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  Bomans  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Briton  had  a  considerable  knowledge  in 
agriculture  and  the  use  of  manures.  The  land 
was  ploughed  with  oxen,  and  the  grain  raised  was 
principally  barley  and  red  wheat.  Pliny  says  that 
the  wheat  was  called  by  the  Britons  brae,  and  by 
the  Komans  sandalum.  Both  words  meant  red, 
and  the  wheat  was  so  named  from  its  likeness  to 
the  colour  of  the  brogues  of  the  Celt.  It  is  said 
the  Britons  were  the  first  people  who  discovered  the 
virtues  of  marie,  and  introduced  it  to  the  Komans 
and  Greeks.  The  British  name  of  the  manure 
was  margil,  signifying  manure.  It  was  laid  on 
corn-fields,  meadows,  and  pastures.  The  silvery 
colour  was  most  esteemed,  and  when  laid  on 
corn-fields  after  harvest,  produced,  it  is  said,  a  good 
crop  of  grass  before  seed-time,  and  the  effects  of  a 
good  marling  was  not  lost  for  many  years.  The 
corn  was  reaped  with  a  scythe,  which  very  much 
resembled  the  one  at  present  in  use  in  this  country. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  343 

The  Koman  scythe  was  like  the  sickle  in  use  here 
at  this  day.  The  corn  was  thrashed  by  the  Celts 
with  a  flail,  which  the  Komans  adopted  after 
the  invasion.  Pliny  calls  the  instrument  ajlagel- 
lator.  Although  corn  lands  were  extensive,  they 
seem  to  have  been  generally  unenclosed,  even  down 
to  the  Saxon  period.  The  fields  in  which  cattle 
were  kept  were  fenced  at  a  very  early  period.  To 
these  enclosures  our  Anglo-Saxon  forefathers  gave 
the  name  of  tun,  the  modern  word  for  town,  though 
it  then  conveyed  no  idea  of  buildings,  but  merely  a 
space  enclosed  by  a  fence.  The  Normans  called 
the  enclosures  haies,  in  low  Latin  hagce,  the  origin 
of  the  word  hedges.  In  the  earliest  collection  of 
Anglo-Saxon  laws,  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  century, 
it  is  set  down  as  a  grievous  offence  to  break 
through  a  man's  tun.  In  the  course  of  next  cen- 
tury, it  was  enacted  that  "  if  peasants  have  a  com- 
mon meadow  gcerstun,  or  other  pasturable  land  to 
fence,  and  some  have  fenced  their  part,  and  some 
not,  and  their  neighbours'  cattle  stray  and  eat  up 
their  corn  and  grass,  let  those  go  who  own  the 
gap  and  compensate  to  the  others  who  have  fenced 
their  part  the]  damage  that  may  be  done,  and  let 
them  demand  such  justice  on  the  cattle  as  may  be 
right.  But  if  there  be  a  beast  that  breaks  through 
fences,  and  goes  in  everywhere,  and  he  who  owns 
it  will  not  or  cannot  restrain  it,  let  him  who  takes  it 
in  the  field  take  it  and  slay  it,  and  let  the  owner 
take  the  skin  and  flesh,  and  forfeit  the  rest." 


344          THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

The  state  of  agriculture  in  this  country  at  an 
early  period  may  be  judged  of  from  the  fact  that, 
when  famine  threatened  the  inhabitants  of  the 
towns  and  villages  on  the  Rhine,  about  the  middle 
of  the  fourth  century,  a  fleet  of  six  hundred  corn 
ships  were  sent  to  Britain  for  wheat,  and  returning 
laden  therewith  saved  the  people  from  starvation. 
It  is  probable  that  the  fleet  made  more  than  one 
voyage,  although  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  did. 
Gibbon  and  other  writers  calculate  that  each  of 
these  ships  carried  70  tons  at  one  trip,  and  suppos- 
ing a  bushel  of  wheat  to  weigh  60  pounds,  the  fleet 
would  carry  at  each  time  196,000  quarters  of  wheat. 
A  great  space  of  land  must  have  been  under  culti- 
vation, otherwise  such  a  supply  could  not  have 
been  so  easily  obtained  in  time  of  sudden  need. 
It  is  said  part  of  these  corn  ships  sailed  from  the 
Tyne  and  Tweed.  Dr  Bruce  imagines  that  the 
terraced  lines  on  the  mountain  sides  of  the  Che- 
viots and  other  places,  resemble  a  mode  of  cultiva- 
tion practised  in  Italy,  and  thinks  the  terraces, 
especially  in  Reed  water,  have  been  made  by  the 
Roman  cultivator,  for  the  purposes  of  growing 
corn.  I  have  noticed  many  of  these  terraces  on 
the  northern  slopes  of  the  Cheviots.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  the  district,  these  terraces  are  called 
baulks.  But  be  this  as  it  may,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  higher  up  still  than  these  terraces,  the 
ground  bears  unmistakable  evidences  of  having 
been  operated  upon  by  the  plough  by  the  native 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  345 

people  to  supply  the  Roman  granaries,  or  by  the 
Saxons,  when  they  got  possession  of  the  land  after 
the  Romans  left.* 

One  of  the  earliest  settlements  in  this  district, 
for  the  purpose  of  cultivating  the  ground  after  the 
Romans  left,  was  at  Old  Jedworth,  in  the  middle 
of  the  forest  of  Jed.  Here  a  church  was  built, 
and  its  concomitant,  a  mill.  A  village  in  progress 
of  time  arose,  to  shelter  those  who  tilled  the  soil  or 
tended  the  herds  in  the  forest.  Shortly  after  the 
grange  was  settled  at  Jedworth,  Thorlongus  estab- 
lished another  at  Edenham,  on  the  eastern  border 
of  the  county,  and  cultivated  the  land  by  his  vil- 
lains. He  built  a  church  in  honour  of  St  Cuthbert, 
which,  with  a  ploughgate  of  land,  he  gave  to  God 
and  St  Cuthbert.  In  the  charter,  Edenham  is 
described  as  a  waste.  But  the  monks  were  the 
great  cultivators  of  the  soil.  In  every  district  of 
this  county  they  had  granges.  The  monks  of  Mel- 
rose had  many  granges  and  extensive  sheep-walks. 
At  each  of  these  granges  or  farms,  a  bailiff  resided, 
and  superintended  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  At 
Blainslie,  on  the  northern  extremity  of  the  county, 
the  monks  had  a  grange,  which  was  famed  for  its 
produce — bear,  oats,  wheat,  pease,  and  beans.  At 
each  grange  there  was  a  number  of  cottages,  whose 
inhabitants  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the  manor, 
for  which  they  enjoyed  certain  privileges  in  the 

*  Vol.  ii.  p.  316. 


346  THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

forest  and  on  the  common  pasture  grounds.  The 
lands  were  also  let  to  husbandmen  at  a  low  rent, 
to  which  were  added  certain  services  to  the  abbey, 
such  as  assisting  in  tilling  the  land,  sowing  and 
reaping  the  crop,  shearing  the  sheep,  leading  peats, 
and  going  to  Berwick  or  Dunbar  with  the  produce 
of  the  grange,  and  bringing  goods  in  return.  Oc- 
casionally the  tenant  got  with  the  land  corn,  cattle, 
and  the  implements  of  husbandry,  and  in  return 
for  the  seed  and  stock,  part  of  the  produce  of  the 
land  was  appropriated  by  the  owner.  -  The  Abbot 
of  Kelso  was  a  great  farmer,  and  possessed  exten- 
sive granges  in  the  county,  which  have  been  fully 
treated  of  in  the  preceding  pages. 

It  was  near  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century 
before  any  real  improvement  was  made  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  In  1723  a  society  of  im- 
provers was  formed  in  Edinburgh,  who  gave  in- 
structions and  examples  to  the  people.  Essays 
on  the  ways  and  means  for  enclosing,  planting,  and 
fallowing  were  circulated,  but  without  producing 
any  effect.  Dr  John  Kutherford  of  Melrose,  a 
gentleman  who  made  agricultural  improvement 
his  favourite  study,  was  the  first  in  this  part  of 
Scotland  who  sowed  turnips  in  the  field.  He 
commenced  operations  on  the  Stankfoot  park  at 
Melrose.  The  field  was  levelled,  harrowed  finely, 
and  afterwards  formed  into  drills  by  a  common 
Scots  plough,  without  a  coulter,  and  about  two 
feet  from  each  other.    John  Martin,  the  doctor's 


ROXBTJKGHSHIRE,   ETC.  347 

servant,  who  resided  long  afterwards  in  Melrose, 
went  behind  the  plough  and  threw  the  seed  into 
the  furrow  with  his  hand,  which  was  harrowed  in 
by  a  man  who  followed  with  a  whin  bush.  At 
this  novel  experiment  Dr  Kutherford  and  all  the 
curious  people  of  Melrose  attended.  The  plants 
soon  made  a  vigorous  appearance,  and  were  thinned 
by  the  hand,  after  which  the  soil  was  drawn  up  to 
the  roots.  By  the  end  of  harvest  the  turnips  in- 
creased to  a  great  size,  and  not  a  few  of  them  were 
carried  away,  which  caused  the  owner  to  protect 
them  by  caltraps  of  iron  placed  among  the  turnips, 
and  intimation  thereof  made  at  the  kirk  door,  and 
through  the  streets  by  tuck  of  drum.  With  these 
turnips  the  doctor  fed  two  bullocks  to  such  a  size 
that  the  people  of  the  locality  would  not  purchase 
them,  conceiving  them  to  be  monsters,  but  they 
brought  a  high  price  at  Dalkeith  market.  Though 
Mr  Kutherford  had  succeeded  beyond  his  expecta- 
tions, a  regular  system  of  cropping  in  the  open 
field  was  not  begun  till  about  1753,  when  Mr 
Dawson  at  Frogden  introduced  it  into  this  county.* 
Although  many  opposed  the  attempt,  it  succeeded 
admirably,  and  in  a  few  years  the  neighbouring 

*  In  1736  Mr  Wight  introduced  horse-hoeing  husbandry 
into  the  county  of  Haddington,  raised  excellent  turnips  and 
cabbages,  fed  cattle  and  sheep,  and  attempted  to  extend 
horse-hoeing  husbandry  to  wheat,  barley,  and  pease.  East 
Lothian  has  the  honour  of  having  led  the  way  in  Scotland 
to  the  improvement  of  husbandry. 


348         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

farmers  followed  his  example  and  succeeded  be- 
yond their  expectations,  which  entirely  changed 
the  old  system  of  husbandry,  and  spread  a  new 
scene  over  the  face  of  the  county. 

Although  the  practice  of  sowing  grass  seeds  was 
begun  in  East  Lothian  by  the  Earl  of  Haddington, 
who  brought  English  people  with  him  to  instruct 
his  servants  and  others  in  the  practice  of  grass 
husbandry,  it  was  not  introduced  into  this  county 
till  some  years  later.  Dr  Kutherford  having  suc- 
ceeded so  well  with  turnips,  attempted  a  trial  in 
artificial  grasses,  by  sowing  clover  and  rye-grass. 
They  were  sown  after  the  turnips,  along  with 
barley.  The  crop  rose  beyond  expectation,  and  by 
the  18th  of  June  following  was  made  into  hay,  the 
first  from  artificial  grasses  in  this  county. 

Next  followed  the  potato  husbandry.  Potatoes 
were  cultivated  in  gardens  so  early  as  1683,  but  it 
was  not  till  1754  that  the  plant  was  grown  in  the 
field.  The  field  husbandry  of  the  potato  was 
begun  in  East  Lothian  by  a  person  of  the  name  of 
Aberlady.  Long  after  the  introduction  of  the 
potato,  it  was  never  considered  as  a  crop  till 
Baron  Kutherford  set  the  example.  He  planted 
twelve  acres  each  year,  which,  after  being  taken  out 
of  the  land,  were  put  into  a  house  sunk  in  "the 
ground.  They  were  generally  applied  for  the  feed- 
ing of  cattle.     The  price  was  2s.  8d.  per  bushel.* 

*  On  the  potatoes  being  planted  in  the  field,  the  common 
people  complained  that  the  meal  had  been  high  priced  since 
the  potatoes  had  become  plentiful. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  349 

In  1755  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  and  Mr  Dawson  intro- 
duced marl  as  a  manure  into  this  county.  It  was 
laid  on  the  lands  in  an  uncalcined  state.  The 
Eev.  Alexander  Glen,  minister  of  Galashiels,  was 
the  first  to  introduce  lime  to  any  extent  as  a 
manure,  about  the  year  1757. 

In  the  year  1776  James  Church,  tenant  of  Moss 
Tower,  in  the  parish  of  Eckford^introduced  a  kind 
of  oats,  which  became  highly  esteemed  in  the 
county.  He  received  from  a  gentleman  in  Gallo- 
way about  sixty  grains  which  had  been  procured 
abroad,  differing  considerably  from  the  Polish  oats, 
being  plump  and  short,  but  yielding  a  greater 
quantity  of  meal  than  any  oats  in  the  county. 
These  few  grains  were  dropped  in  a  common  field 
of  a  blackish  mossy  soil,  and  the  return  was  fifty- 
fold.  At  the  first  introduction  they  generally 
weighed  28  stone  6  lbs.  English  per  Teviotdale  boll. 
They  were  two  weeks  earlier  than  the  Blainslie 
oats. 

In  1787  Lord  Buchan  began,  at  Dryburgh,  the 
culture  of  the  field-carrot  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent. 

In  1778  Mr  Thomas  Mein  introduced  into  this 

county  the  cultivation  of  the  tobacco- plant.  The 
first  trial  was  made  at  Newstead  near  Melrose.  It 
was  afterwards  tried  with  success  at  Kelso,  and 
the  neighbouring  parishes,  and  disposed  of  at  great 
profit.  The  produce  was  declared  to  be  equal  to 
the  best  in  America,  and  the  grower  occasionally 


350  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

cleared  £70  per  acre.  But  an  Act  of  Parliament 
was  passed  prohibiting  the  culture  of  tobacco,  and 
compelling  those  who  had  it  growing  on  their  lands 
to  sell  it  at  4d.  per  lb.  When  the  Act  came  into 
operation,  there  was  a  field  at  Crailing  consisting 
of  thirteen  acres,  which  was  sold  on  the  ground  at 
£320  sterling  ;  but  the  Act  interfering,  Government 
obtained  the  whole  for  little  more  than  £104.  It 
was  raised  in  hotbeds,  planted  like  cabbages,  and 
was  allowed  to  be  equal  to  a  green  crop  for  clean- 
ing the  land. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century- 
fanners  are  said  to  have  been  introduced  into  this 
county,  by  a  person  of  the  name  of  Andrew  Kogers, 
residing  at  Cavers,  and  who ,  afterwards  consider- 
ably improved  them.  The  model,  it  was  said,  was 
brought  from  Holland,  by  Douglas  of  Cavers. 
But  this  statement,  made  by  the  writer  of  the  Old 
Statistical  Account,  and  repeated  in  the  "  Domestic 
Annals  of  Scotland,"  and  other  works  of  the  present 
day,  appears  to  me  to  be  of  very  doubtful  authority. 
In  1710  fanners  were  introduced  into  the  county 
of  Haddington  by  James  Meikle,  a  millwright, 
near  Saltoun,  from  Holland.  The  barley-mill  was 
introduced  at  the  same  time  by  him.  Fletcher  of 
Saltoun  carried  Meikle  to  Holland  to  see  the  fanners 
and  mill  at  work,  and  which  he  afterwards  made 
at  Saltoun.  The  threshing -mill  was  invented  by 
a  son  of  Meikle,  and  soon  after  it  found  its  way 
into  this  county.      It  was  first  used  at  Melrose, 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  351 

Bowden,  and  Fairnington.  The  mills  threshed 
about  eight  bolls  an  hour,  and  cost  from  £25  to 
£60.  Of  the  mill  erected  at  Bowden,  Mr  Andrew 
Blackie,  tenant  of  Holydean,  says, — "  A  thresh- 
ing-machine has  been  newly  erected  here,  which 
does  a  great  deal  of  work ;  but  when  the  prime 
cost  and  interest  thereon,  tear  and  wear  of  every 
kind,  the  number  of  hands,  and  the  extraordinary 
waste  of  horses,  are  all  taken  ioto  account,  it  may 
not  be  of  great  profit  to  the  proprietor."*  Not- 
withstanding the  evident  superiority  of  the  machine, 
the  flail  continued  long  to  be  used. 

Wind-mills  are  seen  in  use  as  early  as  the  end 
of  the  third  century.  In  1321  Robert  I.  granted 
to  the  monks  of  Melrose  lands  in  Eskdale,  with 
water-mills  and  windmills  thereon. 

Improved  implements  of  husbandry  were  slowly 
introduced.  The  wain  and  cart  were  both  used 
at  a  very  early  period.  The  wain  was  used  chiefly 
for  work  on  the  grange  or  for  short  journies.  By 
it  manure  was  taken  to  the  land,  which  gave  the 
name  of  wainagia  to  the  arable  land.  It  was 
drawn  by  oxen.  The  wheel-cart,  drawn  by  horses, 
used  in  carrying  the  produce  of  the  flocks  to  Ber- 
wick and  other  places,  and  returning  laden  with 
articles  for  the  use  of  the  monastery  and  the 
granges,  was  common  in  the  twelfth  century. 
The  wheels  of  the  cart  were  imported  from  Flan- 
ders. 

*  Old  Statistical  Account,  vol.  xvi.  p.  236. 


352  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

In  the  days  of  David  I.  a  plough  was  worked 
with  oxen,  and  for  each  plough  eight  oxen  were 
set  apart.  A  plough  with  two  horses  was  first 
used  in  Dalkeith  Park,  about  1768.  The  practice 
soon  prevailed  in  all  the  Lothians,  from  whence 
it  found  its  way  to  this  county.  An  improvement 
in  the  plough  was  effected  by  Small  of  Dalkeith. 

The  limits  of  this  work  preclude  the  entering 
into  the  system  of  agriculture  in  this  county  at 
the  present  time.  It  is  enough  to  say,  that  it  is  not 
surpassed  by  any  other  district.  The  farms  are 
all  well  enclosed  by  substantial  fences,  and  well 
drained.  Railway  communication  intersects  the 
county,  and  manure  is  brought  within  easy  reach 
of  each  farm.  The  houses  of  the  tenantry  are  well 
built,  elegant,  and  commodious.  The  cottages  of 
the  farm-servants  are  nearly  all  improved,  consist- 
ing of  several  apartments,  and  with  every  conve- 
nience that  kind  landlords  can  imagine  necessary 
to  improve  the  physical  condition  of  the  occupants. 
These  cottages  are  far  better  than  the  houses  of 
the  tenantry  were  a  century  ago.  The  leases  are 
generally  of  fourteen,  nineteen,  and  twenty-one 
years'  endurance. 

Without  good  Roads  improvements  in  agricul- 
ture would  have  been  of  little  avail.  This  part  of 
Scotland  was  traversed  by  the  Watling  Street,  and 
the  Wheel  Causeway  or  the  Maiden  Way,  which 
were  the  only  paved  roads  in  the  district.  In 
road-making  the  monks  succeeded  to  the  Romans 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  353 

They  were  made  very  like  the  roads  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  with  ditches  on  each  side  to  carry  off 
the  water,  and  the  roadway  in  the  middle  laid  with 
hardened  materials ;  but  it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  the  best  roads  of  the  thirteenth  century  are  to 
be  compared  with  the  worst  roads  of  the  present  day. 
The  monks  required  roads  to  their  granges,  which 
were  situated  in  almost  every  district  of  the  land. 
Before  these  could  be  made,  the  consent  of  the 
owner  of  the  lands  had  to  be  obtained,  and  for 
which  high  sums  were  often  paid.  In  this  way 
servitude  roads  were  made.  In  the  chartularies, 
grants  of  free  passage  through  lands  are  constantly 
to  be  met  with. 

So  late  as  1739,  a  journey  from  Glasgow  to 
London  was  made  on  horseback.  There  was 
no  turnpike  till  within  110  miles  of  London. 
Goods  were  transported  from  one  place  to  another 
by  pack-horses,  often  in  gangs  of  thirty  or  forty, 
the  leading  horse  carrying  a  bell  to  give  warn- 
ing to  travellers  coming  in  an  opposite  direction  ; 
and  when  a  traveller  met  these  trains  of  horses, 
with  their  packs  across  their  backs,  he  was  ob- 
liged to  plunge  into  the  side  road,  out  of  which  he 
often  found  it  difficult  to  get  back  to  the  highway. 
In  1785,  the  journey  from  Langholm  to  Hawick, 
a  distance  of  twenty-two  miles,  took  eight  hours  to 
perform,  with  a  chaise  and3two  horses.*  Before 
1794,  one  hundred  and  fifty- three  miles  of  road 

*  Mrs  Murray's  Guide  to  the  Beauties  of  Scotland. 


354         THE  HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

were  made  in  the  county,  in  directions  most  needed. 
On  the  roads  being  improved,  coaches  began  to 
run,  and  on  the  best  roads  flying  coaches  aston- 
ished the  public  by  running  at  the  rate  of  four  or 
five  miles  an  hour.  The  common  coach  did  not 
exceed  three  or  four  miles.  In  1771  the  "  Flying 
Post"  was  advertised  to  run  between  Edinburgh  and 
Newcastle,  starting  from  the  Black  Bull,  head  of 
the  Canongate,  Edinburgh,  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  reaching  Wooler  the  first  day,  and  New- 
castle at  two  o'clock  afternoon  of  the  second  day. 
On  returning,  the  coach  started  from  Newcastle  at 
five  in  the  morning  and  reached  Kelso  the  first 
day,  where  it  stopped  all  the  night,  arriving  at  Edin- 
burgh in  the  following  afternoon.  The  coach 
carried  six  inside  passengers,  at  the  fare  of  £1, 
lis.  6d,  each.*  A  fly-coach  in  the  present  century 
ran  between  Jedburgh  and  Edinburgh,  taking  a 
whole  day  to  accomplish  the  journey. 

The  North  British  Eailway  and  its  branches 
now  intersect  the  county  in  all  commodious  direc- 
tions, making  the  journey,  which  formerly  took  a 
day  to  perform,  an  hour's  pastime. 

*  " Edinburgh  Advertiser"  for  1771. 


355 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


OF   ITS   EMINENT   MEN. 


In  a  work  of  this  description,  a  summary  can  only 
be  offered  of  those  persons  who  have  been  natives 
of  the  county  and  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  the  walks  of  literature  and  science. 

William  Turnbull,  son  of  Turnbull  of  Bed- 
rule,  a  Prebend  of  Glasgow,  Doctor  of  Laws,  and 
Archdeacon  of  Lothian,  was  born  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifteenth  century.  From  1441  to  1447 
he  was  a  Privy  Councillor  and  Keeper  of  the  Privy 
Seal.  About  the  latter  date  he  was  elected  Bishop 
of  Dunkeld,  and  during  the  same  year  Bishop  of 
Glasgow.  He  was  consecrated  in  1448.  In  1451 
he  founded  the  College  of  Glasgow.  During  his 
incumbency  he  obtained  valuable  privileges  for  his 
archbishopric  and  city,  for  which  his  memory  is 
held  in  grateful  remembrance.  He  assisted  in 
repairing  the  Abbey  of  Jedburgh,  which  had  been 
destroyed  in  one  of  the  wasteful  inroads  of  the  Eng- 
lish.    He  died  at  Rome,  on  3d  September  1454. 

Alexander  Cairncross,  of  Cumbesley,  was  pro- 


356         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES    OF 

moted  to  the  Archbishopric  of  Glasgow  in  1684, 
from  which  he  was  removed  in  1687.  In  1693  he 
was  made  Bishop  of  Kaphoe,  in  Ireland,  in  which 
he  continued  till  he  died  in  1701. 

John  Kutherford,  a  celebrated  teacher  of  scho- 
lastic philosophy  in  Scotland,  was  a  native  of  Jed- 
burgh. He  lived  in  the  early  part  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  was  a  disciple  of  the  learned 
Buchanan,  whom  he  accompanied  to  Portugal,  and 
from  thence  to  the  University  of  Paris.  On  his 
return  home  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Huma- 
nity at  St  Andrews,  which  had  been  recently  erected 
by  Archbishop  Hamilton .  He  was  afterwards  made 
Principal  of  St  Salvator's  College,  and  ere  long  rose 
to  be  Dean  of  the  Faculty  of  Arts.  Having  been 
licensed  by  the  first  General  Assembly,  he  was 
admitted  a  minister  of  Cults,  near  St  Andrews ; 
but  he  was  more  distinguished  as  a  philosopher 
than  a  divine.  He  published  a  "  Treatise  on  the 
Art  of  Seasoning  upon  the  Aristotlean  Principles," 
which  was  much  admired.  He  died  in  the  year 
1577. 

Samuel  Kutherford  was  born  at  the  farm  of 
Nisbet,  on  the  margin  of  the  river  Teviot,  about 
three  miles  from  Jedburgh.  The  date  of  his  birth 
has  not  been  ascertained,  but  it  is  thought  to  have 
been  about  1600.  He  was  educated  at  Jedburgh, 
famed  at  that  time  for  its  seminary.  In  the  year 
1617  he  went  to  the  University  of  Edinburgh  to 
prosecute  his  studies,  and  four  years  after  he  was 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  357 

chosen  Kegent  of  Humanity  in  that  University. 
This  office  he  held  for  two  years,  when  he  was 
settled  as  a  minister  of  a  parish  in  Kirkcudbright- 
shire. In  1639  he  was  inducted  as  Professor  of 
Divinity  at  St  Andrews.  Shortly  after  he  was  elec- 
ted Principal  of  St  Mary's.  Four  years  afterwards 
he  was  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Kirk  of 
Scotland  to  the  Assembly  at  Westminster,  and  took 
an  active  hand  in  the  proceedings  of  that  venerable 
body.  He  died  in  March  1661.  He  wrote  and 
published  a  number  of  works,  chiefly  theological. 

James  Thomson  was  born  at  Edenham  in  1700. 
His  father  was  minister  of  the  Established  Church 
there,  and  was  translated  to  Southdean,  in  the 
Presbytery  of  Jedburgh,  a  short  time  after  the 
birth  of  his  son.  In  due  time  Thomson  was  sent 
to  the  Grammar  School  of  Jedburgh,  where  his 
talents  were  soon  discovered  and  his  genius  fos- 
tered by  Mr  Riccarton,  minister  of  Hobkirk,  the 
neighbouring  parish  to  Southdean.  Sir  William 
Bennet  of  Grubbet  greatly  encouraged  him,  and 
with  whom  he  often  passed  the  summer  vacation 
at  Marlefield,  near  Morebattle.  From  the  country 
he  was  sent  to  the  university  to  finish  his  studies, 
and  after  going  through  several  classes,  he  entered 
Divinity  Hall  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  Mr 
Hamilton  was  then  professor  ;  and  when  Thomson 
delivered  a  paraphrase  and  illustration  of  a  psalm 
as  an  exercise,  in  a  style  highly  poetical,  the  pro- 
fessor complimented  him  upon  his  performance, 


358  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

at  the  same  time  hinting  that  if  he  thought  of 
being  useful  to  the  ministry,  he  would  require  to 
keep  a  stricter  rein  upon  his  imagination.  Mr 
Thomson  was  induced  to  go  to  London,  where  his 
reception  was  such  that  he  ventured  to  publish  his 
poem  of  "  Winter,"  the  best  of  his  productions. 
The  poem  was  introduced  to  the  public  by  Mr 
Whately,  a  man  of  letters,  who  painted  the  produc- 
tion in  such  glowing  colours  that  the  impression 
was  soon  bought  up.  The  three  Seasons  followed, 
and  the  reception  was  equally  nattering.  In  1727 
he  published  a  poem  to  the  memory  of  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  followed  by  a  poem  titled  "  Britannia,"  and 
a  poem  to  "  Liberty."  After  writing  his  "  Castle 
of  Indolence"  he  began  to  write  for  the  stage. 
The  most  fortunate  of  these  works  was  "  Tancred 
and  Sigismunda."     He  died  in  August  1748. 

Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  of  Minto,  possessed  of  a 
highly  cultivated  mind,  wrote  the  beautiful  pas- 
toral song,  "  My  sheep  I  neglected,  I  broke  my 
sheep-hook," — pronounced  by  Dugald  Stewart  to  be 
remarkable  for  sound  philosophy  and  purity  of 
English  style.  He  died  in  1777.  His  sister,  Miss 
Jane  Elliot,  was  the  authoress  of  the  "  Flowers 
of  the  Forest,"  which  Sir  Walter  Scott  says. "  is 
expressed  in  a  strain  of  elegaic  simplicity,  and 
tenderness  which  has  seldom  been  equalled,  and 
imitated  the  manner  of  the  ancient  minstrels  so 
happily,  that  it  required  the  most  positive  evidence 
to  convince  me  that  the  song  was  of  modern  date." 


359 

John  Armstrong,  physician  and  poet,  was  born 
at  Castleton,  of  which  parish  his  father  was  mini- 
ster. He  took  his  degree  in  physics  in  1732,  and 
in  1746  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  physicians  to 
the  hospital  at  Buckingham  House.  In  1760  he 
was  appointed  physician  to  the  army  in  Germany. 
He  died  in  1779. 

John  Buchan  was  born  at  Ancrum  in  1729. 
At  an  early  age  he  exhibited  a  talent  for  medicine, 
and  was  sent  to  study  that  science  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Edinburgh.  While  attending  the  Univer- 
sity, he  obtained  considerable  proficiency  in  mathe- 
matics and  botany,  the  latter  of  which  furnished  a 
source  of  amusement  for  many  years  of  his  life. 
He  practised  medicine  for  a  short  time  at  York. 
About  that  time  he  was  elected  physician  to  a 
Foundling  Hospital,  established  and  supported  by 
Parliament  at  Ackworth,  after  a  public  trial  with 
ten  professional  men.  On  the  institution  being 
given  up,  Mr  Buchan  returned  to  Edinburgh,  and 
practised  for  several  years  with  great  success.  On 
the  death  of  Dr  Gregory  he  [  succeeded  to  the 
vacant  chair.  He  afterwards  went  to  London, 
where  he  began  to  practise  under  the  happiest 
auspices,  and  might  have  amassed  an  ample  fortune 
could  he  have  withstood  the  allurements  of  company. 
He  died  in  February  1805,  in  the  seventy-sixth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  the  author  of  several 
treatises,  but  the  work  that  established  his  fame 
was  the  "Domestic  Medicine;  or,  a  Treatise  on  the 


360  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Cure  and  Prevention  of  Diseases  by  Eegimen  and 
Simple  Medicine."  It  was  first  published  in  1770, 
and  experienced  a  sale  far  exceeding  any  other 
medical  work.  It  has  been  translated  into  every 
language  in  Europe,  and  even  into  the  Russian 
tongue.  Scarcely  a  cottage  in  this  country  but 
contains  on  its  shelf  the  "Domestic  Medicine." 

William  Turnbull  was  born  about  the  year 
1729,  at  Hawick.  He  was  the  representative  of 
the  family  of  Bedrule,  marked  from  the  time  of 
the  Reformation  for  its  strong  attachment  to  the 
dissenting  interest.  The  consequences  of  this 
early  attention  to  the  Reformation,  brought  upon 
many  of  the  leading  families  of  this  district 
the  indignation  and  persecution  of  the  existing 
Government,  and  thus  they  were  despoiled  of  many 
of  their  richest  and  most  extensive  possessions  by 
the  influence  of  Papal  resentment.  No  family 
suffered  more  in  this  respect  than  the  family  of 
Bedrule,  and  for  a  religious  predilection  for  Cal- 
vinistic  tenets  they  were  deprived  of  their  estates. 
After  the  usual  period  allotted  in  Scotland  for 
classical  learning  at  his  native  town  of  Hawick, 
he  went  to  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  After 
the  usual  time  spent  in  academical  pursuits,  Mr 
Turnbull  obtained  the  degree  of  medicine.  He 
then  went  to  Wooler,  in  Northumberland,  where 
he  practised  for  about  twenty  years,  and  while 
there,  he  was  chosen  physician  to  the  Bamborough 
Infirmary.     He  afterwards  settled  in  London,  by 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC  361 

the  advice  of  Sir  John  Pringle,  where  success 
attended  him.  Shortly  after  his  beginning  prac- 
tice in  London,  he  was  appointed  physician  to  the 
Eastern  Dispensary,  an  institution  supported  by 
nearly  600  subscribers,  at  the  head  of  which  was 
the  Marquis  Cornwallis.  After  spending  an  even- 
ing with  Dr  Buchan,  he  was  seized  with  a  severe 
illness,  which  proved  fatal  in  the  course  of  thirty- 
six  hours. 

John  Leyden  was  born  at  Denholm,  on  8th 
September  1775.  At  ten  years  of  age  he  attended 
the  school  of  William  Wilson  at  Kirkton.  In  the 
year  1790  he  went  to  the  University  of  Edinburgh, 
where  his  humble  dress  and  broad  provincial  accent 
of  Teviotdale  afforded  mirth  to  his  fellow-students  ; 
but  the  qualities  of  his  mind  soon  commanded 
esteem  and  admiration  among  the  sensible  mem- 
bers of  the  University  ;  and  those  who  did  not  ad- 
mit talent  as  an  excuse  for  an  unfashionable  coat, 
were  kept  within  bounds  by  the  arm  of  the  young 
borderer.  After  five  or  six  years  spent  at  the 
University,  he  procured  the  situation  of  private 
tutor  to  the  sons  of  Mr  Campbell  of  Fairfield,  which 
he  retained  for  two  years.  While  he  resided  with  Mr 
Campbell,  he  accompanied  his  pupils  to  the  college 
of  St  Andrews,  where  he  had  the  advantage  of  the 
acquaintance  of  Professor  Hunter.  About  this  time 
he  formed  an  acquaintance  with  Mr  Richard  Heber, 
and  was  by  him  introduced  to  several  literary  men  in 
Edinburgh — Lord  Woodhouselee,  Henry  M'Ken- 


362  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

zie,  the  Kev.  Sidney  Smith,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott. 
In  1800  he  was  licensed  for  the  ministry,  and 
preached  in  several  of  the  churches  in  Edinburgh. 
"  His  style  of  pulpit  oratory/'  says  his  biographer, 
"  was  marked  by  the  same  merits  and  faults  which 
distinguish  his  poetry — more  strikingthan  eloquent, 
and  his  voice  and  gesture  more  violent  than  ele- 
gant ;  but  his  discourses  were  marked  with  strong 
traits  of  original  genius,  and  although  he  pleaded 
an  internal  feeling  of  disappointment  at  being  un- 
equal to  attain  his  own  ideas  of  excellence  as  a 
preacher,  it  was  impossible  to  listen  to  him  without 
being  convinced  of  his  uncommon  extent  of  learn- 
ing, knowledge  of  ethics,  and  sincere  zeal  for  the 
interests  of  religion."  In  1801,  when  Mr  Lewis 
published  his  "  Tales  of  Wonder,"  Leyden  furnished 
the  ballad  called  the  "  Elf  King  ;"  and,  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  assisted  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  the  task 
of  procuring  materials  for  the  publication  of  the 
"  Border  Minstrelsy."  He  next  edited  the  "  Com- 
playnt  of  Scotland,"  an  ancient  tract  written  about 
the  year  1548.  On  the  union  of  the  "  Edinburgh 
Magazine"  with  the  old  "  Scots  Magazine,"  Leyden 
was  appointed  editor,  and  held  the  management 
about  six  months,  during  which  time  he  contributed 
several  pieces  in  prose  and  verse,  and  also  wrote  a 
poem  titled  "  Scenes  of  Infancy."  About  this 
time  a  representation  was  made  to  the  Eight  Hon. 
W.  Dundas,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Control, 
stating  the  talents  and  disposition  of  Leyden,  and 


363 

suggesting  that  be  might  be  usefully  employed  in 
investigating  the  language  and  learning  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  which  was  at  once  assented  to  by  Mr 
Dundas  ;  but  the  sole  appointment  then  at  his  dis- 
posal was  that  of  surgeon's  assistant,  which  could 
only  be  held  by  a  person  who  had  taken  a  surgical 
degree  and  could  sustain  an  examination  before  the 
Medical  Board  of  the  India  House,  So  anxious 
was  Leyden  to  extend  the  bounds  of  his  literary 
and  geographical  knowledge,  that  he  at  once  inti- 
mated his  readiness  to  accept  the  appointment,  and 
by  the  most  wonderful  powers  of  application, 
actually  obtained  a  diploma  as  surgeon  in  the  short 
space  of  six  months,  and  was  appointed  assistant- 
surgeon  on  the  Madras  establishment,  for  which 
place  he  sailed  in  April  1803.  After  his  arrival 
his  health  soon  gave  way,  which  forced  him  to 
leave  Madras  for  Prince  of  Wales  Island.  In 
1806  Leyden  proceeded  to  Calcutta,  where  he  was 
kindly  received  by  his  countryman  Sir  John  Mal- 
colm. He  was  appointed  a  professor  in  the  Bengal 
College,  but  this  situation  was  soon  exchanged  for 
that  of  Judge  of  the  twenty- four  Purgannahs  of 
Calcutta,  with  a  considerable  income  annexed.  This 
income,  after  remitting  a  portion  home,  he  devoted 
to  the  pursuit  which  engaged  his  whole  soul,  the 
increase  of  his  acquaintance  with  eastern  literature. 
But  the  period  of  investigation  was  destined  to  be 
of  short  duration.  Having  accompanied  the  Go- 
vernor-General on  the  expedition  to  Java,  in  the 


364  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

spirit  of  romantic  adventure,  he  threw  himself  into 
the  surf,  to  be  the  first  Briton  who  should  set  foot 
on  Java.  When  the  invaders  obtained  possession 
of  Batavia,  Leyden,  in  his  haste  to  examine  a  lib- 
rary in  a  Dutch  settlement,  entered  an  apartment 
which  had  not  been  regularly  ventilated,  caught  a 
fever,  and  died  in  three  day's  illness.  His  death 
happened  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  which  gave  Java 
to  the  British  Empire. 

Thomas  Somerville  was  bora  at  Hawick  in 
1741,  of  which  parish  his  father  was  minister. 
After  attending  the  Grammar  School  of  Hawick, 
he  entered  as  a  student  in  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh in  1756.  In  1762  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and  shortly  after  was  received  into  the 
family  of  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  of  Minto,  in  the  capa- 
city of  tutor  to  his  son,  who  became  the  Governor- 
General  of  India.  In  1767,  he  was  presented  to 
the  church  of  Minto  by  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot,  which 
office  he  filled  till  1773,  when  he  was  translated  to 
Jedburgh,  on  Dr  Macknight  being  removed  to 
Edinburgh.  In  1792,  he  wrote  a  history  of  the 
"Political  Transactions  and  Parties  from  the  Restor- 
ation of  Charles  II.  to  the  death  of  King  William." 
Next  year  he  published  a  pamphlet  "  On  the  Con- 
stitution and  State  of  Great  Britain."  In  1798 
he  published  his  great  work,  a  "  History  of  the 
Reign  of  Queen  Anne,"  dedicated  to  George  III 
He  died  at  Jedburgh,  on  16th  May  1830,  in  the  nine- 
tieth year  of  his  age,  having  on  the  previous 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  365 

Sabbath  "  preached  and  administered  the  sacrament 
to  his  congregation  with  his  usual  pious  earnest- 
ness." Mr  Somerville  wrote  the  memoirs  of  his 
own  time,  which  was  published  two  years  ago,  and 
met  with  a  favourable  reception  from  the  public. 

Kobert  Balmer,  an  eminent  divine  of  the  Uni- 
ted Secession  Church.  He  was  born  November 
22,  1787,  at  Ormiston  Mains,  in  the  parish  of 
Eckford,  on  which  farm  his  father  was  steward. 
When  he  was  three  years  of  age  his  father  removed 
to  Crailing  Hall,  on  the  Oxnam  Water.  While 
there,  Kobert  attended  for  some  time  a  school 
taught  by  a  female,  and  afterwards  a  school  at 
Crailing  Mill.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  his 
father  died,  after  which  his  mother  kept  a  small 
shop  at  Eckford  Moss.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
was  sent  to  the  Grammar  School  at  Kelso,  then 
under  the  charge  of  Mr  Dymock.  In  1802  he 
entered  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  In  1812 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Edinburgh,  and  on  the  23d  day  of  March 
1814  he  was  ordained  to  the  charge  of  the  Associ- 
ate Congregation  of  Berwick-on-Tweed.  In  April 
1834  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Pastoral  Theology 
to  the  Secession  Church,  which  he  exchanged  for 
the  Chair  of  Systematic  Theology.  In  1840  the 
honorary  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by 
the  University  of  St  Andrews.  He  died  July  1, 
1844. 

James  Bell  was  born  at  Jedburgh  in  1769. 


366  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

His  father,  the  author  of  several  religious  works, 
was  ordained  minister  of  the  Relief  Congregation 
of  Jedburgh  in  1767,  which  place  he  left  for  Glas- 
gow in  1777.  After  receiving  a  liberal  education 
at  Glasgow,  he  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
weaving  trade,  and  in  1790  commenced  as  a 
manufacturer  of  cotton  goods,  but  in  consequence 
of  a  depression  in  that  trade,  in  1793  he  was  ob- 
liged to  relinquish  it,  and  act  as  a  common  warper. 
In  1806  he  became  a  teacher  of  the  classics.  In 
the  year  1815  he  edited  a  new  edition  of  a  System 
of  Geography,  and  afterwards  a  System  of  Popular 
and  Scientific  Geography  in  six  volumes.  He  died 
in  May  1833. 

James  Brown  was  born  at  Kelso  in  May  1709. 
He  was  an  eminent  linguist  and  traveller.  He 
was  educated  at  Westminster.  In  1722  he  accom- 
panied his  father  to  Constantinople.  He  acquired 
a  profound  knowledge  of  the  Greek,  Turkish, 
Italian,  and  Spanish  languages.  In  1741  he  was 
appointed  chief  agent  or  factor  to  a  Russian  com- 
pany composed  of  London  merchants,  and  sailed 
for  Riga.  He  afterwards  proceeded  to  Reshd  in 
Persia,  by  way  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  where  he  esta- 
blished a  factory.  While  there,  he  studied  the 
Persian  language,  of  which  he  afterwards  compiled 
a  dictionary  and  grammar.  Being  dissatisfied 
with  the  company,  he  returned  to  England  in 
1746.     He  died  in  1788. 

John  Clark  was  born  at  Roxburgh  in  1744. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  367 

He  was  appointed  assistant-surgeon  in  the  East 
India  Company's  service.  The  degree  of  M.D. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of  St 
Andrews.  He  settled  in  practice  at  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne,  where  he  founded  a  dispensary.  He  wrote 
several  works  on  medicine.     He  died  in  1805. 

Sir  David  Dickson  was  born  at  Bedrule  in 
1780.  His  father  was  minister  of  that  parish. 
He  studied  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and 
in  1798  became  a  licentiate  of  the  Koyal  College 
of  Surgeons  of  that  city.  Next  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  surgeon  in  the  navy,  and  in  1806  inspec- 
tor of  fleets  and  hospitals.     He  died  in  1850. 

Mark  Duncan  was  born  about  1570  at  Max- 
ponie.  He  completed  his  studies  on  the  continent, 
and  was  appointed  first  Professor  of  Philosophy  in 
the  University  of  Saumur,  in  France,  and  after- 
wards Principal  of  that  University.  He  died  in 
1648. 

Eobert  Edmonston  was  born  at  Kelso  in  1794. 
He  was  apprenticed  to  a  watchmaker,  which  trade 
he  left  for  the  study  of  painting,  in  which  he  ob- 
tained considerable  reputation.  He  studied  at 
Kome,  Naples,  Florence,  and  Venice.  He  died  at 
Kelso  in  1834. 

Kobert  Hall  was  born  at  Haughhead,  on 
Cayle,  in  1763.  He  was  educated  at  the  Gram- 
mar School  of  Jedburgh.  After  studying  at  the 
University  of  Edinburgh  he  became  a  licentiate  of 
the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  and  was  appointed 


368  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

surgeon's  first  mate  of  the  Kuby,  74.  On  return- 
ing to  England  he  settled  in  London,  where  he 
became  distinguished  as  a  medical  writer.  He 
entered  the  army  as  surgeon,  and  served  for  twelve 
years,  and  was  medical  officer  to  the  expedition  to 
the  Niger.     He  died  in  1824. 

Kobert  Eiccaltoun,  an  eminent  divine,  was 
born  at  Yenchon,  near  Yetholm.  After  complet- 
ing his  studies  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  he 
was  duly  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  after- 
wards obtained  the  presentation  to  the  parish  of 
Hobkirk-on-Eule.  Of  Mr  Eiccaltoun  the  venera- 
ted John  Newton  said,  that  "  Scotland  may  well 
boast  of  Eobert  Eiccaltoun  of  Hobkirk."  Accord- 
ign  to  Dr  Somerville,  minister  of  Jedburgh,  he 
was  "  the  most  distinguished  person  in  the  Presby- 
tery of  Jedburgh/'  A  writer  in  the  "  Gentleman's 
Magazine"  of  1853,  says,  "He  is  the  Scottish 
Edwards.  Like  him  his  thoughts  go  off  into  the 
deep  shadows  of  metaphysics.  Like  him,  too,  his 
congenial  abiding-place  was  Sinai ;  but  equally  with 
the  illustrious  American,  from  out  its  '  thunders, 
and  lightnings,  and  earthquakes,'  looks  with  serene 
eye  towards  Calvary.  There  is  the  same  subtlety 
of  analysis ;  the  same  unfaltering  thinking  out  of 
Bible  thoughts,  however  awful ;  the  same  breadth 
and  concreteness  of  view ;  the  same  unobtrusive 
scholarship  ;  the  same  reverent  acceptance  of  what 
*  is  written ;'  and  the  same  burning  presentation  ot 
the  cross/'    Thomson,  the  author  of  the  "  Seasons," 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  369 

was  a  frequent  visitor  to  the  manse,  and  whose 
poetical  talents  Mr  Eiccaltoun  discovered  and  pro- 
mpted.    He  died  in  1765. 

The  county  has  also  produced  several  men  who 
deserve  to  be  recorded,  and  who,  under  disad- 
vantagous  circumstances,  have  cultivated  a  love  of 
literature  and  poetical  tastes. 

James  Telfer  of  Saughtree  School,  Liddisdale, 
whose  birthplace  was  in  the  parish  of  Southdean,  was 
long  known  for  his  literary  talents.  His  first  produc- 
tion consisted  of  ballads  and  poems,  chiefly  referring 
to  the  traditions  and  legends  of  his  native  district. 
His  next  appearance  was  in  a  small  novel  entitled 
"  Barbara  Gray,"  the  scene  of  which  is  also  laid  in 
Teviotdale.  Some  few  years  ago,  a  revised  edition 
of  his  more  select  writings  was  published,  under 
the  title  of  "  Tales  and  Ballads/'  Some  of  the 
poetical  pieces  were  collected  out  of  various  peri- 
odicals in  which  they  had  appeared.  The  most 
interesting  of  these  are  "  The  Gloamynge  Buchte," 
"Auld  Kingan,"  and  the  "  Lay  of  Early  Love." 
"Barbara  Grey"  may  be  estimated  as  the  most  not- 
able effort  of  the  author's  pen.  It  is  marked  by 
considerable  skill  in  writing.  The  incidents  are 
recounted  with  great  simplicity  and  pathos,  and  the 
description  of  rural  scenery  touched  off  generally 
with  no  little  effect.  The  tale  has  long  been  a 
favourite,  and  will  be  read  and  cherished  when 
more  ambitious  performances  of  its  class  are  for- 
2a 


370  THE   HISTORY   AND    ANTIQUITIES   OF 

gotten.  It  is  to  be  lamented  that  the  circumstances 
of  Mr  Telfer  s  life  were  so  unpropitious.  His  lot 
had  been  cast  as  a  teacher  of  a  small  side  school 
in  a  thinly-populated  district  of  Liddisdale.  His 
means  of  subsistence  were  eked  out  by  a  salary  so 
small,  that  I  do  not  venture  to  state  the  sum  in 
print.  His  retiring  habits  and  modest  nature  con- 
tributed to  keep  him  in  obscurity,  and  his  case 
might  well  have  attracted  the  favourable  eye  of 
those  who  had  it  within  their  power  to  dispense 
preferment  or  beneficent  deeds.  Mr  Telfer  com- 
menced life  as  a  shepherd,  an  occupation  followed 
by  most  of  his  forefathers.  He  never  enjoyed 
robust  health.     He  died  in  1862. 

Robert  Davidson,  of  Morebattle,  ought  also  to 
be  noticed  among  those  of  the  humble  ranks  who 
have  appeared  as  authors.  During  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a  day- 
labourer.  In  1812  he  published  a  small  volume  of 
poems,  which  attracted  some  attention.  In  1 825 
another  publication  of  the  same  kind  appeared, 
which  was  eagerly  read  and  circulated  in  the  district 
of  Morebattle.  In  1848,  with  the  assistance  of  a 
few  gentlemen  who  took  an  interest  in  him,  a  new 
edition  of  his  poems  was  brought  out,  which,  from 
the  way  the  sale  of  the  work  was  effected,  yielded 
him  a  respectable  sum.  The  particulars  of  his  life 
may  be  briefly  stated.  He  was  born  at  Lempitlaw 
in  1778,  and  after  a  little  education  at  the  parish 
school,  commeDced  to  labour  for  his  daily  bread 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC,  371 

amid  the  privations  of  dear  years  and  the  pressure 
of  family  claims.  He  kept  up  a  cultivation  of  the 
Muses,  thereby  deriving  a  pleasure  which  the  pos- 
session of  more  material  enjoyment  cannot  match. 
Apart  from  his  poems,  his  life  presents  one  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  a  genuine  true-hearted  Scottish 
peasant.  His  verses  are  marked  with  a  good  deal 
of  humour,  and  occasionally  by  felicity  of  expres- 
sion worthy  of  a  higher  master  of  the  art  of  rhyme. 
The  moral  sentiment  of  his  graver  pieces  is  of  the 
happiest  kind.  "The  Term  Day,"  "  The  Witch 
Burning,"  "  The  Cheviot  Games,"  "  Fasten's  E'en," 
may  be  cited  as  among  his  most  creditable  efforts. 
After  many  a  struggle  against  the  alternative,  he 
was  forced,  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  to  accept 
of  parochial  aid.  He  died  on  the  7th  April  1855, 
and  was  buried  in  Morebattle  churchyard,  and  it 
is  not  creditable  to  the  admirers  of  peasant  litera- 
ture that  no  memorial  marks  the  resting-place  of 
one  who  was  an  honour  to  his  class  and  to  the 
district  in  which  he  lived. 

John  Younger  was  born  at  Langnewton,  in  the 
parish  of  Ancrum,  in  1785.  He  was  one  of  the 
best  prose  writers  that  have  appeared  in  the  county 
as  a  representative  of  the  working- classes,  and  the 
favourite  of  every  member  of  the  human  family 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  fond  of 
fishing  and  out-door  amusements.  His  first  regu- 
lar appearance  as  an  author  was  in  1834,  in  which 
year  he  published   "  Thoughts  as  they  Kise,"  a 


372  THE    HISTORY   AND    ANTIQUITIES   OF 

sketchy  poem  of  some  length,  comprising  criticisms 
in  the  Byron  fashion  on  the  various  subjects  of  the 
period.  The  measure  was  cleverly  managed.  This 
was  followed  by  occasional  pieces  having  reference 
to  popular  questions  of  the  day,  more  especially 
the  corn  laws.  In  1848,  on  a  prize  being  offered 
by  John  Henderson  of  Park  for  the  three  best 
essays  on  the  sacredness  of  the  Sabbath,  to  be 
written  by  members  of  the  working-classes,  Younger 
appeared  as  a  competitor,  and  a  second  prize  of 
£15  was  awarded  to  him.  The  essay  was  shortly 
afterwards  published,  and  had  a  large  sale,  and 
elicited  favourable  notice  from  all  quarters  of  liter- 
ary authority.  The  style  is  vigorous  yet  simple, 
and  the  subject  is  treated  with  great  freshness  and 
liveliness  of  fancy  and  feeling.  Another  work 
which  obtained  for  him  some  attention,  is  an  essay 
on  salmon-fishing.  All  these  writings  show  that 
he  was  a  man  of  no  ordinary  mental  qualification. 
He  followed  the  occupation  of  a  shoemaker  in  the 
village  of  Lessudden.  He  filled  for  a  time  the 
office  of  village  postmaster,  obtained  for  him  by  the 
influence  of  the  Member  of  Parliament  for  the 
county.     He  died  in  1860. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  373 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


LIST   OF   INDIGENOUS   PLANTS. 

Ranunculace^e. 

Of  the  genus  Ranunculus,  which  gives  its  name  to  this 
family,  various  species  are  common  throughout  the  district, 
and  enter  largely  into  the  vegetation  which  clothes  our  fields 
and  meadows.  Such  are  R.  Repens  and  R.  Acris,  both 
troublesome  weeds  in  imperfectly-cultivated  fields.  R. 
Bulbosus  is  likewise  pretty  common,  and  the  comparatively 
rare  R.  Hirsutus  has  been  found  in  fields  near  Hawick, 
it.  Lingua,  the  species  with  the  largest  flowers,  is  occasion- 
ally met  with  in  ponds  and  marshy  places,  as  in  a  moss  near 
the  N.  B.  Railway,  east  from  Hassendean ;  Reuse  mill  moss, 
on  the  Ale ;  Yetholm  and  Hoselaw  lochs.  Its  near  ally,  it. 
Flammula,  is  abundant  in  all  marshy  places,  it.  Aquatilis 
and  R.  Hederaceus  are  likewise  plentiful  in  their  appro- 
priate localities ;  it.  Fluitans  occurs,  but  much  less  fre- 
quently. R.  Sceleratus,  which  is  plentiful  in  many  parts  of 
Scotland,  appears  to  be  very  rare  here.  I  have  met  with  it 
only  on  two  occasions,  once  near  Melrose,  and  again  between 
Kelso  and  Coldstream.  It  affects  the  vicinity  of  the  sea. 
R.  Auricomus,  differing  in  many  respects  from  its  congeners, 
occurs  plentifully  in  woods  in  early  spring.  The  glossy 
yellow  stars  of  Ficaria  Ranunculoides  adorn  every  naked 
bank  long  before  any  other  member  of  the  family  has  made 
its  appearance ;  and  Caltha  Palustris  is  found  by  the  side  of 
almost  every  stream. 


374  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Th.alict.rum  Minus. — Rare.  Stony  banks  near  the  east  end 
of  Hawick ;  Borthwick  water,  about  half  way  between 
Hawick  and  Roberton.  T.  Majus. — Banks  of  the  Tweed, 
opposite  Dryburgh,  and  on  the  Trows'  Crag  at  Makerston 
— (F.  E.  B.) 

Anemone  Nemorosa. — Plentiful  in  woods,  and  also  occa- 
sionally met  with  in  wild  mountainous  districts. 

Trollius  Europceus. — Rare  in  the  lower  parts  of  the 
country;  but  in  the  more  elevated  districts,  the  marshy 
meadows  which  slope  from  the  sides  and  base  of  the  moun- 
tains— as  in  many  parts  of  Teviothead — are  often  so  com- 
pletely covered  with  it,  that  in  June  and  July  they  present 
a  continuous  surface  of  rich  colour  from  the  profusion  of  its 
handsome  globular  flowers.  In  such  situations  it  occupies 
the  place  filled  by  the  common  ranunculuses  in  the  lower 
districts,  and  will  long  retain  its  position  among  our  indi- 
genous plants,  although  it  is  rapidly  disappearing  from  many 
of  its  former  localities  under  the  influence  of  drainage  and 
the  plough. 

Helleborus  Viridis  and  H.  Foetidus. — Both  these  plants 
may  be  occasionally  met  with  in  wroods  in  the  vicinity  o 
gentlemen's  residences  ;  but  they  have  no  doubt  been  intro- 
duced, as  they  are  probably  no  where  indigenous  in  Britain, 
unless  in  the  chalk  districts  of  the  south  of  England.  The 
former  occurs  in  woods  near  Synton,  near  Kelso,  and  in  the 
glen  below  Minto  House. 

Aquilegia  Vulgaris  and  Aconitum  Napellus,  can  occupy  a 
place  in  the  Scottish  flora  only  on  the  same  terms  as  the 
hellebores, — not  strictly  as  natives,  but  as  having  become 
naturalised,  after  originally  making  their  escape  from  gar- 
dens.    Road  sides  near  Cavers,  and  elsewhere.  • 

BERBERIDACE.E. 

Berberis  Vulgaris. — In  hedges,  shrubberies,  &c,  occa- 
sionally.    Of  course,  introduced. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  375 

NyMPELE  ACE.E. 

The  only  representative  of  this  interesting  family  we 
possess  is  Nupharlutea,  which  occurs  in  plenty  in  Essenside 
Loch,  Ashkirk,  also  in  Yetholm  Loch. 

Papaverace^. 

The  common  corn  poppy  of  the  district  is  the  Papaver 
Dubium,  occupying  here  the  place  which  R.  Rliceeas  fills  in 
many  other  parts  of  the  country.  The  latter  also  occurs, 
but  less  frequently.  Pargemone  may  occasionally  be  found 
in  sandy  corn  fields.  The  opium  poppy,  P.  Somniferum, 
is  found  occasionally  in  waste  places,  but  with  as  little  title 
to  be  considered  indigenous  as  the  horned  poppy,  Glaucium 
Luteum,  which  I  have  oftener  than  once  found  on  the  banks 
of  the  Teviot. 

Chelidonium  Majus. — Hedge  banks  about  Hawick,  Den- 
holm,  Kelso,  and  Jedburgh. 

FUMARIACE^E. 

.  Fumaria  Officinalis  and  Scapreolata. — The  former  a 
common  weed  in  cultivated  fields  and  in  gardens,  the  latter 
at  hedge  bottoms  ;  not  rare.  Corydalis  Claviculata. — Rare. 
Near  Cavers,  and  among  the  Cheviot  Hills. 

CRUCIFEPwE. 

Cheirartthus  Cheiri. — Old  walls  ;  Jedburgh  and  Kelso 
Abbey.  Barbarea  Vulgaris. — By  the  sides  and  in  the  beds 
of  rivers  and  burns  ;  frequent.  B.  Prcecox,  a  rare  species, 
is  said  by  Mr  Watson  to  be  found  in  Roxburghshire. 

Arabis  Hirsula. — Abundant  on  Minto  Craigs,  and  else- 
where occasional. 

Cardamine  Amara. — Not  unfrequent.  Wells,  Deanfoot, 
near  Minto ;  on  the  Tweed  about  Kelso  ;  and  also  on  the 
banks  of  the  Teviot  in  various  places.  C.  Hirsuta.—Ne&T 
Melrose,  Dryburgh,  Denholm,  Dean,  Howden  Burn,  near 
Jedburgh,  &c.  C.  Pratensis  is  everywhere  common  in 
moist  meadows  and  bogs. 


376  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Nasturtium  Officinale. — Common  by  the  sides  of  rivers 
and  in  places  frequently  under  water.  The  two  other 
British  species,  and  N.  Sylvestre  and  N.  Terrestre,  likewise 
occur  in  the  county,  but  the  former  is  very  rare ;  I  have  seen  it 
only  once,  near  Dryburgh. 

Cohclearia  Officinalis. — On  Melrose  Abbey — (F.  E.  B.) 
It  has  not  fallen  under  my  own  observation. 

Draba  Verna. — On  greywacke  and  trap  rock  where  the 
soil  is  thin,  earth-capped  dikes,  sand  banks,  &c. ;  abundant. 

Thlaspi  Arvense. — Not  generally  distributed,  and  occur- 
ing  only  in  stray  specimens.  Corn-fields  near  Hawick  ; 
fields  near  St  Boswells  ;  in  the  dry  channel  of  the  Bowmont ; 
and  near  Yetholm.    Abundant  a  few  years  ago — (F.  E.  B.) 

Teesdalia  Nudicaulis. — Scarce  in  this  county;  I  have 
seen  it  only  on  two  occasions,  once  in  the  dry  channel  of  the 
Tweed  below  Melrose,  and  again  in  the  vicinity  of  Gala- 
shiels. In  the  bed  of  the  Bowmont,  for  miles  above  and 
below  Yetholm— (F.  E.  B.) 

Iberis  Amara. — Inserted  on  the  authority  of  Watson's 
"  Outlines  of  the  Geographical  Distribution  of  Plants;"  but 
it  is  certainly  not  indigenous.* 

Sisymbrium  Officinale. — Common  on  hedge  banks  and 
waste  places.  S.  Thalianum. — Banks  at  the  east  end  of 
Hawick,  near  Kelso,  and  elsewhere  occasional.  S.  Sophia. — 
In  quarries  near  Hawick,  and  stone  heaps  in  fields,  but  rare. 

Alliaria  Officinalis. — Generally  distributed,  and  often 
very  plentiful. 

Camelina  Satira. — Occasionally  found  in  corn-fields, 
especially  where  flax  has  been  cultivated.  I  have  had  speci- 
mens brought  me  this  season  from  Minto. 


*  The  Koxburghshire  localities  in  the  work  referred  to  were 
contributed  by  the  writer  of  these  notices,  as  mentioned  in  the 
preface.  He  has  no  recollection,  however,  of  meeting  with  the 
Iberis  Amara  in  anything  like  a  wild  state,  and  is  inclined  to 
think  that  there  is  some  mistake  in  the  above  indication. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  377 

t 

Capsdla  Bursa  Pastoris. — Common  everywhere. 

Senebiera  Coronopus.  —At  Haddon  village  abundant — (Dr 
F.  Douglas ;  F.  E.  B.) 

The  various  species  of  Brassica  we  find  here  chiefly  in  a 
cultivated  state,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  specify  them,  par- 
ticularly in  a  list  of  wild  plants. 

Sinapis  Arvensis  and  Raphanus  Raphanistrum,  constitute 
the  principal  yellow  weeds  of  agriculture.  The  former, 
though  generally  plentiful  where  it  does  occur,  is  somewhat 
local ;  but  the  last  occurs  in  all  cultivated  lands,  and  is  one 
of  the  greatest  pests  with  which  the  farmer  has  to  contend. 
It  is  known  in  this  county  by  the  name  of  Runch. 

Resedace^e. 

Reseda  Luteola. — On  banks  and  waste  places  ;  not  uncom- 
mon.    Banks  of  the  Tweed  and  Teviot. 

Cistaceje. 

Helianthemum  Vulgare. — All  the  British  species  of  this 
handsome  genus  are  very  rare,  with  the  exception  of  that 
just  named,  which  grows  in  great  abundance  in  this  county 
on  the  thin  but  rich  soil  formed  by  the  disintegration  of 
greenstone  and  other  trap  rocks. 

Violace^e. 

Viola  Palustris. — In  bogs  and  marshy  ground,  but  not 
common  ;  boggy  wood,  near  Mossburnford,  Hawick  parish — 
(S.  A.)  V.  Hirta. — This  plant  has  hitherto  been  regarded 
as  rare  in  most  parts  of  Scotland.  It  does  appear  to  be  so  in 
the  southern  counties.  It  grows  in  great  vigour  and  abun- 
dance in  the  trap  soil  near  the  southern  base  of  Minto  Craigs, 
and  it  is  noticed  in  the  Statistical  Account  as  occurring  on 
the  banks  of  the  Tweed  near  Kelso,  and  also  in  Hawick 
parish.  I  have  kept  it  for  many  years  in  the  garden,  and 
find  that  it  does  not  undergo  any  material  alteration,  ex- 
cept in  the  rough  hairs  partially  disappearing.  It  is  not 
rare  in  Berwickshire.     V.  Canina,  V.  Tricolor,  and  V.  Lutea, 


378         THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

are  all  common  ;  the  last  mentioned,  with  both  yellow  and 
purple  petals,  being  found  on  most  of  the  elevated  grassy 
heights  in  the  district. 

Droserace^e. 

Drosera  Rotundifolia. — Rather  plentiful  wherever  there 
is  a  moist  soil  composed  of  peat  earth.  I  have  not  met 
with  either  of  the  two  other  species  in  the  district,  although 
both  are  indicated  by  Watson  as  indigenous  to  the  southern 
counties  of  Scotland. 

Parnassie^. 

Parnassia  Palustris. — This  plant  is  abundant  in  marshy 
upland  and  moorish  districts  throughout  the  county,  and 
its  beautiful  and  curiously- constructed  flowers  are  among 
the  most  interesting  met  with  in  such  places  in  the  late 
autumnal  months. 

Polygalace,e. 

Polygala  Vulgaris. — Common  in  all  its  differently-coloured 
varieties. 

Caryophyllace,e. 

Dianthus  Deltoides. — Rather  plentiful  in  some  places, 
chiefly  on  trap  rocks,  but  also  on  the  silurian  and  porphyritic 
soils.  Minto  Craigs,  near  Kirkton  ;  plentiful  about 
Yetholm  ;  in  the  vale  of  the  Bowmont  in  great  luxuriance 
and  abundance  ;  and  in  Hawick  parish — (S.  A.) 

Saponaria  Officinalis. — I  find  a  large  patch  of  this  plant 
growing  by  the  side  of  the  Teviot,  below  Midshiels  ;  but  it 
is  a  very  doubtful  native,  and  has  probably  come  from  the 
nurseries  or  gardens  of  Hawick.  Vaccaria  Vulgaris,  which 
has  of  late  years  been  introduced  into  this  country  along 
with  seed  corn,  has  been  found  by  Mr  J.  A.  H.  Murray  in 
a  field  near  Weensland,  Hawick.  Silena  Inflata. — In  waste 
places,  and  on  dry  gravel  banks  by  the  sides  of  rivers  ;  plen- 
tiful. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  379 

Lychnis  Flos-Cuculi. — Moist  meadows  and  pastures  ;  com- 
mon. L.  Viscaria. — This  rather  rare  plant  grows  in  some 
plenty  on  Minto  Craigs,  and  as  it  is  frequently  rooted  in 
inaccessible  fissures  of  the  trap  rocks,  it  is  not  so  liable  to 
extirpation  as  some  other  scarce  plants  in  that  locality. 
L.  Diurna  is  abundant  in  woods,  while  L.  Vespertina — long 
supposed  to  be  a  variety,  but  which  appears  to  be  really 
distinct — is  found  chiefly  in  open  fields.  It  is  not  so  common 
as  the  red-flowered  plant. 

Agrostemma  Githago. — Corn  fields,  particularly  wheat. 

Sagina  Procumbens  and  S.  Nodosa  are  the  only  two 
species  of  the  genus  I  have  noticed  within  the  bounds,  the 
former  plentifully,  the  latter  occasionally,  in  damp,  turfy, 
and  sandy  places. 

Arenaria  Vema. — I  have  seen  this  pretty  little  plant  only 
on  a  few  occasions  within  the  county — once  on  the  grey- 
wacke  rocks  west  from  Binks,  Teviothead,  on  the  trap  of 
Bonchester  hill,  and  near  Roxburgh,  Hawick  parish— (S.  A.) 
A .  Serpyllifolia  and  A.  Arinervis  are  the  only  other  Rox- 
burghshire species,  as  far  as  known  to  me.  The  latter  is 
plentiful  in  damp  shady  woods  ;  Denholm  Dean  ;  banks  of 
the  Jed  ;  woods  about  Minto,  Kelso,  and  Melrose. 

Stellaria  Nemorum. — Woods  on  the  Jed,  Denholm  Dean, 
and  similar  localities  ;  not  rare.  S.  Glauca. — Essenside 
Loch  ;  marshy  places  in  Ruberslaw,  &c;  Bowmont  water— 
(Dr  F.  Douglas  ;  F.  E.  B.)  S.  Graminea,  S.  UUginosa,  S. 
Holostea,  S.  Media,  are  all  common,  the  two  last  in  par- 
ticular. 

Cerastium  Vulgatmn,  C.  Viscosurn,  C.  Semidecandrum, 
are  all  pretty  common.  C.  Tetrandrum. — "  Banks  of  the 
Tweed" — (Hooker  and  Arnot.)  G.  Arvense  and  C.  Aquati- 
cum  (now  Malachium  Aquaticam),  are  both  given  by  Wat- 
son as  belonging  to  Roxburghshire.  The  latter  is  certainly 
very  rare. 

Linace^e. 

Linum  UsetatUsimum,  L.  Catharticum. — The  latter  fre- 
quent on  dry  roadsides  and  moors. 


380  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Malvaceae. 

Malva  Sylvestris. — Very  local  in  its  distribution.  Banks 
of  the  Tweed  at  Kelso ;  Minto  Craigs  ;  Whitlow,  on  the 
Slitrig.  M.  Moschata. — Also  local.  Banks  of  the  Teviot, 
opposite  Deanfoot ;  near  Denholm,  near  Kelso  ;  and  Newton 
Don,  Hawick  parish — (S.  A.) 

Tiliace^e. 
Tilea  Europea. — A  common  tree. 

HyPERIACEjE. 

Hypericum  Perforatum  is  the  most  common  species  of  the 
genus.  H.  Quadrangulum  and  H.  Dubium  likewise  occur. 
H.  Pulchrum  is  rather  common  ;  abundant  on  Eildon  Hills. 
H.  Hirsutum. — In  wood  occasionally  ;  banks  of  the  Jed  ; 
Denholm  Dean  ;  woods  about  Melrose.  H.  Humifusum. — 
Rare,  rather  scarce.  Near  Denholm,  and  about  Hawick, 
Kelso.  H.  Montanum,  which  occurs  in  the  list  of  plants  in 
Hawick  parish  in  the  Statistical  Account,  is  not,  I  believe, 
a  Scotch  plant,  and  has  no  doubt  been  introduced  by  mistake. 

ACERACEiE. 

Acer  Pseudo-Platanus  and  A.  Campestre. — Although  now 
common,  particularly  the  former,  neither  of  these  trees  is 
probably  indigenous  to  Scotland. 

Geraniace,e. 

Geranium  Pratense  and  G.  Sylvaticum. — Two  beautiful 
and  conspicuous  plants.  Are  plentiful  in  all  the  lower  parts 
of  the  district.  G.  Robertianum  and  G.  Molle  are  every- 
where common.  G.  Dissectum. — Also  abundant  in  light 
gravelly  soils.  G.  Pyrenaicum  I  once  found  in  a  wood 
near  Kelso,  but  is  very  rare.  G.  Lucidum. — Pretty  frequent 
in  damp  shady  places ;  Minto  Craigs ;  banks  of  Tweed  a*. 
Makerston,  &c.  G.  Sanguineum. — Once  pretty  abundant 
on  Minto  Craigs,  but  now  very  scarce,  if  not  extirpated,  in 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  381 

that  locality.  G.  Nodosum  is  said  by  Hooker  and  Arnot 
to  occur  on  the  banks  of  the  Tweed,  but  I  am  unable  to  say 
whether  within  the  limits  to  which  these  notices  are  re- 
stricted. G.  Columhinum. — Minto  Craigs — (Dr  F.  Douglas ; 
F.  E.  B.)  Erodium  Cicutarium. — Scarce  but  occurring  in 
a  few  places. 

Balsaminace^e. 

Impatiens  Noli-me-tangere. — Introduced  here  rather  in 
accordance  with  the  practice  of  botanists  than  from  a  con- 
viction that  it  deserves  a  place  among  our  native  plants. 
Wooded  banks  at  Minto,  Penielheugh. 

OXALIDACE.E. 

Oxalis  Acetosella. — In  all  shady  woods,  and  also  under 
the  shelter  of  rocks  on  our  highest  mountains. 

Celastrace^e. 

Euonymus  Europozus. — Found  in  most  of  the  natural 
woods  in  the  district.  Often  indigenous,  but  frequently 
also  introduced.  Minto  Craigs  ;  Denholm  Dean  ;  woods 
above  Hawick ;  Branxholm  ;  Shoredew  Cleuch.  Hownam 
parish— (S.  A.) ;  Trow's  Crags— (F.  E.  B.) 

LEGUMINOS.E, 

Ulex  Europceus. — Becomes  scarce  in  the  higher  districts. 
U.  Nanus. — On  the  higher  ridges  of  the  Cheviots. 

Genista  Tinctoria. — Near  Pennymuir  G.  Anglica. — 
Not  common.  Lawton  hill ;  moor  near  Wells ;  and  to  the 
south  of  Dunian,  Oxnam  parish — (S.  A.) 

Sarothamnus  Scoparius. — Gradually  thinning  before  the 
progress  of  agriculture,  but  still  plentiful. 

Ononis  Arvensis. — Plentiful  on  the  gravelly  banks  of  the 
Teviot  and  most  other  streams  in  the  district. 

Anihyllis     Vulneraria. — Dry  pastures  and   banks  ;   not 


382  THE    HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Medicago  Lupulina. — Abundant  in  fields  and  by  road 
sides. 

Trifolium  Repens. — The  most  common  species  of  trefoil ; 
next  to  it  T.  Pratense.  T.  Medium,  occasional.  T.  Striatum, 
on  naked  banks  ;  occasional.  Stitchell  brae,  abundantly. 
T.  Scabrum — Yetholm  parish — (S.  A.)  T.  Procumbens,  T. 
Filiforme,  and  T.  Minus,  are  not  unfrequent  in  some  places. 
T.  Arvense,  occasional.  Minto  Craigs,  and  fields  in  that 
neighbourhood  ;  banks  of  the  Tweed  below  Kelso — (Dr  F. 
Douglas  ;  F.  E.  B.)  T.  Fragiferum. — Banks  of  the  Tweed 
and  Teviot.     T.   Ochroleucum — Oxnam  parish  (?) — (S.  A.) 

Lotus  Corniculatus. — Very  common.  L.  Major. — Re- 
garded by  some  as  a  species,  by  others  as  a  variety.  Is  fre- 
quent in  hedges  and  bushy  places. 

Astragalus  Glycyphyllus. — In  the  dean  of  Newtown,  St 
Boswell's— (F.  E.  B.)   I  have  not  met  with  it  in  the  county. 

Vicia  Lathyroides,  V.  Satira,  V.  Sepium,  V.  Cracca,  V. 
Orobus,  and  V.  Sylvatica,  are  the  species  indigenous  to  the 
county.  Of  these,  V.  Orobus  is  the  rarest.  It  has  been 
found  on  dry  pastures  about  Hiilsland  and  Mosshills,  near 
Hawick ;  on  the  road  leading  to  Orchard ;  and  about  Cavers. 
The  elegant  V.  Sylvatica  is  frequent  in  woods  at  Den- 
holm  Dean,  woods  west  from  Hawick,  banks  of  the  Slitrig, 
near  Stobs,  &c. 

Ervum  Hirsutum. — A  common  weed  on  poor  lands. 

Laihyrus  Pratensis  and  Orobus  Tuberosus,  the  only 
other  members  of  the  family  we  have  occasion  to  notice, 
are  common  throughout  the  district. 

Rosacea. 

Prunus  Communis,  P.  Avium,  and  P.  Padus,  all  occur  in 
hedge  rows  and  woods,  the  last  mentioned  generally  planted. 
Spircea  Salicifolia. — Woods  and  shrubberies ;  scarcely  natu- 
ralized ;  woods  about  Minto,  and  elsewhere.  S.  Ulmaria. — 
Abundant.  Geum  Urbanum  and  Grivale. — Both  very  com- 
mon.    G.  Intermedium,  regarded  by  some  as  a  species — has 


383 

been  found  by  Mr  Jerdon  on  the  banks  of  the  Jed.  But 
the  truth  is,  that  forms  occur  in  every  stage  of  transition 
between  the  two  so-called  species,  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  they  run  into  one  another. 

Rubus  Idmus  and  R.  Fruticosus  are  the  only  species  that 
I  can  mention,  in  addition  to  the  one  noticed  below,  as 
undoubted  natives  of  the  district.  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  there  are  others,  but  I  have  not  seen  them  in  all 
the  stages  of  their  growth,  and  have  bestowed  on  them  too 
cursory  an  examination  to  satisfy  me  in  determining  their 
characters.  R.  Chamsemorus. — In  its  appropriate  localities 
this  interesting  plant  occurs  in  considerable  plenty  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  county.  It  is  never  seen  except  at  a  con- 
siderable elevation,  usually  on  the  summit  of  our  highest 
hills,  when  the  surface  is  composed  of  peat  earth.  I  have 
seen  it  cultivated  in  comparatively  low  grounds,  but  al- 
though it  produced  flowers,  and  seemed  to  flourish,  the  fruit 
never  came  to  maturity.  Pretty  extensive  areas  of  it  occur 
on  the  summit  of  the  Wisp  ;  the  higher  summits  in  How- 
nam,  Oxnatn,  and  Yetholm  parishes  produce  it,  and  the 
Cheviots ;  generally  wherever  the  elevation  is  considerable. 
Maiden  Paps. 

Fragaria  Vesca. — Common  in  woods. 

Comarum  Palustre. — In  marshes  and  peat-bogs ;  pretty 
frequent.  Mosshills  Loch,  Hawick  ;  Malcolm's  Moss,  north 
from  Minto  ;  Ashkirk  and  Hownam  parishes,  &c. 

Potentilla  A  userina,  P.  Reptans,  P.  Tormentilla,  and  P.  Fra- 
gariastrum  are  all  common.  P.  Argentia. — Rare.  Oxnam 
parish — (S.  A.)  Road-sides  west  of  Stitchel;  not  common — 
(Dr  R.  D.  Thomson  ;  F.  E.  B.) 

Alchemilla  Vulgaris  and  A.  Arvensis. — Both  common,  the 
former  in  woods,  by  waysides,  and  the  borders  of  fields ; 
the  latter  in  barren  gravelly  fields. 

Sanguisorba  Officinalis. — Local.  Abundant  at  Clerklands, 
on  the  Ale,  and  at  Newlands,  near  Hassendean ;  near 
Bowden,  and  Kelso — (S.  A.) ;  Base  of  Eildon  Hills  ;  Lurden- 
law,  near  Kelso— (Dr  F.  Douglas  ;  F.  E.  B.) 


384  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Poterium  Sanguisorba. — Rare.  Bank  near  Lintalee — (A. 
Jerdon,  Esq.) 

Agrimonia  Eupatoria. — Frequent  by  the  borders  of  woods 
and  fields,  and  in  waste  places.  Still  used  medicinally  in 
the  district. 

Rosa  Spinosissima,  R.  Canina,  and  R.  Arvo.nsis,  are  com- 
mon ;  R.  Villosa  and  R.  Tomentosa,  occasional.  Others  may 
probably  occur,  but  they  have  not  been  satisfactorily 
determined. 

Crataegus  Oxyacantha. — Large  and  evidently  verjf  aged 
thorn  trees  are  frequently  met  with  among  the  hills,  espe- 
cially in  Teviothead,  in  situations,  and  at  an  elevation — (for 
its  zone  rises  only  a  little  higher  than  that  of  JJlex  Euro- 
pceus) — where  they  could  scarcely  be  expected  to  occur 
naturally.  The  bushes  are  usually  insulated,  but  though 
remote,  they  are  often  observed  to  be  in  a  line,  as  if  they 
had  at  one  time  formed  hedge-rows. 

Pyrus  Malus  and  P.  Aucupria  are  the  only  two  species 
that  can  safely  be  regarded  as  natives.  P.  lorminalis, 
which  I  have  occasionally  observed,  is  naturally  an  English 
tree. 

Onagrace^e. 

Epilobium  Angustifolium. — Rather  scarce.  Easthill-end ; 
banks  of  the  Teviot,  in  some  places ;  among  the  Cheviots. 
E.  Hirsutum,  E.  Parriflorum,  E.  Montanum,  and  E.  Tetra- 
gonum,  are  all  common.  E.  Alsinifolium,  E.  Alpinum,  and 
E.  Palustre. — Cheviot  Hills. 

Circaea  Lutetiana. — Not  unfrequent.  Denholm  Dean, 
above  the  cottage  ;  about  Cleuch-head,  Minto  ;  woods  about 
Kelso ;  Well's  woods  on  Rulewater. 

Haloeagace^. 

Hippuris  Vulgaris. — Scarce  in  the  central  districts  of  the 
county,  but  plentiful  in  the  upland  bogs  and  stagnant 
waters  in  the  more  elevated  lands  towards  the  south  and 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  385 

west ;  Teviothead ;  Hownam,  and  Yetholm  parishes  ;  bog 
near  Fairnington  ;  Kaim's  moss  ;  Clerkland's  moss. 

Myriopliyllum  Spicatum. — Pools  by  the  sides  of  the  Tweed 
and  Teviot. 

Lythrace,e. 

Lythrum  Salicaria. — Rare.  Moss  on  the  north  side  of 
Minto  Hills,  abundant ;  Yetholm  parish — (S.  A.) 

Portulace^e. 

Montia  Fontana. — Watery  places  ;  Cheviots. 

Paronychiace^e. 
Spergula  Arvensis. — Very  common  in  cultivated  fields. 

Crassulace^e. 
Sempervivum  Tectorum. — Frequent  on  the  roofs  of  thatched 
cottages,  and  well  known,  under  the  name  of  Fuet,  for  its 
medicinal  properties.  Sedum  Telephium. — Frequent  in  gar- 
dens, but  rare  in  a  wild  state,  although  sometimes  met  with 
remote  from  cultivation.  Yetholm  and  Hownam  parishes — 
(S.  A.) ;  Vale  of  the  Bowmont— (F.  E.  B.)  S.  Acre  is  the 
most  abundant  species.  *S.  Refiexum. — Rare  ;  Minto  Craigs, 
Hawick  parish  (?) — (S.  A.)  S.  Villosum. — Rare  in  the  low 
county,  but  plentiful  in  moors  and  upland  pastures  in  How- 
nam, Oxnam,  and  Teviothead  parishes.  In  the  latter,  it 
grows  mostly  on  the  unfrequented  hill  roads,  especially 
where  they  are  moist,  and  often  covers  considerable  areas 
with  its  pretty  pink  flowers. 

Grossulariace^e. 

Ribes  Rubrum,  R.  Nigrum,  and  R.  Grossularia  may  be 
mentioned  in  conformity  with  general  practice,  but  though 
found  occasionally  remote  from  houses,  they  are  probably 
in  no  case  indigenous. 

Saxifragace^e. 
The  only  species  of  the  genus  Saxifraga  that  can  be  re- 
2B       ♦ 


386  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

garded  as  common  is  the  handsome  S.  Granulata,  sometimes 
cultivated  in  gardens,  with  double  flowers.  &  Stellaris  is 
stated  to  be  frequent  among  the  Cheviots ;  but  it  has 
recently  been  sought  for  in  vain.  It  is  not  improbable, 
S.  Tridactylites  and  S.  Hypnoides  may  occur,  but  I  am  unable 
to  mention  any  locality.  The  latter  is  found  on  the  Nor- 
thumberland side  of  the  Cheviots.  Chrysosplenium  Opposi- 
tifolium. — Abundant  in  damp  and  shady  places,  at  the  sides 
and  sources  of  springs  ;  and  C.  Alternifolium  may  occasion- 
ally be  found  along  with  it. 

Umbellifer^:. 

Hydrocotyle  Vulgaris. — By  the  sides  of  lochs,  in  boggy 
and  marshy  places,  occasional.  Essenside  Loch  ;  among  the 
Cheviots  and  Teviothead  hills. 

Sanicula  Europcea. — Woods  ;  not  rare.  Denholm  Dean, 
and  Minto  woods,  Wells,  Kelso,  Melrose. 

Cicuta  Virosa. — Not  common.  Hownam  and  Yetholm 
parishes— (S.  A.) ;  Yetholm  Loch— (Rev.  A.  Baird ;  F.  E.  B.) 
I  have  not  myself  met  with  this  plant  in  the  county. 

JEgopodium  Podagraria. — Very  plentiful  by  waysides 
and  in  damp  woods. 

Bunium  Flexuosum. — Plentiful  in  old  pastures. 

Pimpinella  S axifraga.-r- -In  dry  pastures,  occasional. 

Slum  Angustifolium. — Not  common.  Yetholm  parish — 
(S.  A.) 

JEnanthe  Crocata. — Eare.  In  a  marshy  spot  on  the 
Rule,  above  Wells.  w 

jEthusa  Cynapium. — In  fields  and  gardens  ;  common. 

Silans  Pratensis. — Usually  accounted  a  somewhat  rare 
plant  in  Scotland,  but  frequent  in  this  county  by  the  sides 
of  roads  and  fields  ;  near  Denholm ;  Hassendean,  and  fields 
to  the  north  of  it ;  Jed  water ;  vicinity  of  Kelso  ;  all  round  the 
base  of  Eildon  Hills — (S.  A.)  Angelica  Sylvestris. — Shady 
woods  in  the  central  and  north-east  parts  of  the  county ; 
frequent. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  387 

Heraclium  Spliondylium. — Common.  Conium  Macula- 
turn. — Not  very  common,  but  met  with  occasionally  among 
rubbish  near  houses. 

Scandix  Pecten-  Veneris. — Corn  fields ;  occasional. 

Anthriscus  Sylvestris  and  A.  Vulgaris  both  occur,  the 
latter  somewhat  scarce. 

Cheer ophy Hum  Temulentum. — One  of  the  most  common 
and  generally  distributed  of  the  umbelliferae. 

MyrrMs  Odorata. — Occasional.  Its  presence  generally 
indicates  the  place  where  houses  formerly  stood,  for  it  was 
once  a  favourite  garden  plant.  Banks  of  the  Teviot ;  Has- 
sendean  burn  ;  banks  of  the  Jed ;  Pinnacle-hill,  near  Kelso . 

Daucus  Carota. — Fields  ;  occasional.  Torilis  Anthriscus, 
T.  Infesta,  and  T.  Nodosa,  are  all  indigenous,  and  in  many 
places  rather  common. 

Araliace^e, 

Adoxa  Moschatellina. — Common  in  woods,  and  on  hedge 
banks,  and,  like  the  wood-sorrel  and  several  other  plants, 
occasionally  on  the  tops  of  our  highest  mountains. 

Hedera  Helix. — Very  common. 

CORNACEJS. 

Cornus  Suecica. — I  have  found  this  plant  on  the  Cheviot 
Hills  (which  have  been  long  known  to  be  one  of  its  habi- 
tats), only  on  one  occasion.  On  the  borders  of  the  parish  of 
Hownam — (S.  A.) 

CAPRIFOLIACE.E. 

Sambucus  Ebulus. — A  large  patch  of  this  plant  once  grew 
on  the  road  side  near  the  farm  of  Easter-Middle,  near 
Cavers,  but  it  is  rare.     S.  Nigra. — Common. 

Viburnum  Opulus. — DeDholm  Dean ;  Banks  of  Slitrig, 
opposite  Humbleknows ;  and  in  woods  not  unfrequently. 

Lonicera  Periclymenum. — Common. 


388  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

RlJBIACE^E. 

Of  the  genus  Galium,  the  species  G.  Verum,  G.  Cruciatum, 
G.  Saxatile,  G.  Palustre,  and  G.  Aparine,  may  all  be  classed 
among  our  common  plants.  G.  Uliginosum  likewise  occurs, 
but  less  frequently.  G.  Boreale. — Banks  of  the  Tweed  at 
Trow's  Crags,  and  road  sides  in  the  parish  of  Sprouston — 
(DrF.  Douglas;  F.  E.  B.) 

Sherardia  Arvensis  and  Asperula  Odorata. — Both  plenti- 
ful ;  the  former  in-  gravelly  corn-fields,  the  latter  in  woods. 

Valerian  ace^e. 

Valeriana  Divica. — Plentiful  in  marshy  places  among  the 
Teviothead  hills,  and  in  similar  situations  throughout  the 
county.  V.  Officinalis. — In  woods  and  sides  of  rivers,  pretty 
frequent.  V.Pyrenaica — Rare.  Banks  of  Tweed  near  Kelso. 
T  have  seen  it  in  other  localities  ;  but  in  all  cases  it  has  pro- 
bably come  from  gardens. 

Fedia  Olitoria. — Rather  scarce.  Fields  near  Hawick; 
banks  of  the  Tweed  below  Rosebank  Toll ;  and  on  the  Eden 
near  Stitchell  Lynn — (F.  E.  B.)  F.  Dentata. — I  found  this 
only  on  two  occasions  within  the  county — once  at  Minto, 
again  in  Denholm  Dean. 

DlPSACACE^E. 

Scabiosa  Succisa. — Common.  S.  Columbaria,  said  by 
Hooker  and  Arnott  to  be  rare  in  Scotland,  is  so  plentiful  in 
Teviotdale  that  special  localities  need  not  be  cited.  Knautia 
Arvensis. — Common. 

Composite. 

Tragopogon  Pratensis. — Not  abundant  anywhere,  but  gene- 
rally distributed.  Haughs  of  the  Teviot,  near  Hawick,  Kelso, 
and  Melrose.  Apargia  Hispida  and  A.  Autumnalis. — Com- 
mon. Hypochceris  Radicata,  also  common.  Lactuca  Virosa. 
— Rare  ;  Roxburgh — (Watson)  ;  Melrose— (Hooker  and 
Arnott).  Sonchus Arvensis,  S.  Oleraceus,  and S.Asper. — Com- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  389 

mon.  Crepis  Virens. — Common.  C.  Succiscefolla. — Rare  ; 
Denholm  Dean,  also  among  the  Cheviots.  Leordodon  Tar- 
axacum.— Abundant  everywhere.  The  variety  L.  Palustre, 
in  such  places  as  the  name  indicates.  Hieracium  Pilosella 
and  H.  Murorum  are  the  most  common  of  this  extensive  and 
difficult  genus.  H.  Sylvaticum  is  not  rare  in  woods,  and  H. 
Boreale  occurs  occasionally.  H.  Umhellatum,  said  by  Hooker 
and  Arnott  to  be  rare  in  Scotland,  is  found  not  unfrequently 
in  this  quarter,  as  at  Lintlea,  near  Jedburgh.  H.  Auranti- 
acum. — Near  Stob's  Castle.  Naturalized;  probably  not  really 
a  native  of  any  part  of  Britain.  H.  Nigrum  (H.  Pulmona- 
rium). — Yetholm  parish  (?) — (S.  A.) 

Lapsana  Communis. — Waste  ground  ;  very  common. 

dehor  ium  Intybus. — Straggling  plants  occasionally  occur, 
and  always  attract  attention  by  the  bright  blue  flowers,  a 
colour  so  rare  in  this  family  of  plants.  The  habitats  are  so 
changeable  and  uncertain  that  the  mention  of  the  places 
where  1  have  found  it  would  afford  little  chance  of  meeting 
with  it  again  in  the  same  localities.  Arctium  Lappa. — Com- 
mon. 

Of  the  well-known  genus  Carduus,  C.  Acanthoides  is  the 
most  common ;  next  to  it  C.  Tenuflorus:  C.  Nutaus. — 
Scarce;  fields  near  Ellieston  ;  "  Yetholm  parish " — (S.  A.) 
C.  Marianus  may  be  seen  at  times  in  waste  places,  but 
the  outcast  of  gardens. 

Cnicus  Lanceolatus,  C.  Palastris,  O.  Arvensis. — Very 
common.  C.  Heterophyllus. — In  some  parts  of  the  county 
almost  common,  in  others  very  local.  Denholm  Dean, 
Minto  ;  road  sides  east  from  Kirkton  ;  woods  at  Branxholm, 
&c.  Banks  of  the  Jed  near  Mossburnford — (A.  Jerdon, 
Esq.) 

Onopordum  Acanthium. — Wherever  found  in  Scotland  it 
cannot  be  regarded  as  indigenous.  I  have  frequently  seen 
it  growing  in  waste  places  near  gardens  in  the  county. 

Centaurea  Nigra. — Everywhere  in  pastures  and  by  road 
sides.     C.  Lyanus. — Corn  fields ;  not  rare. 


390  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Tanacetum  Vulgare. — Rather  common  by  the  banks  of  the 
Teviot,  and  often  met  with  elsewhere.  Artemesia  Vulgaris. 
— Common.  Antennaria  Dioica. — Ruberslaw,  Hawick 
Moor,  and  similar  situations ;  occasional.  Gnaphalium 
Sylvaticum. — Upland  districts  ;  occasional.  Hawick  Moor, 
Cheviot  Hills,  &c.  G.  Uliginosum. — Frequent,  often  as  a 
weed  in  gardens.  Filago  Minima  and  F.  Germanica. — Less 
frequent ;  in  sandy  and  gravelly  places.  Pelasites  Vulgaris 
and  Tussilago  Tarfara. — Both  very  common,  the  former 
by  the  sides  of  rivers,  the  latter  in  damp  clayey  soils.* 
Solidago  Virgaurea. — Rocks  at  Hornshole ;  ravines  among 
the  Cheviots.  Senecio  Vulgaris  and  S.  Jacobaia. — Yery 
common.  S.  Viscosus. — Rather  rare;  Minto  Craigs.  S. 
Aquaticus. — Marshes ;  not  unfrequent. 

Doronicwn  Pardalianclies. — Naturalised  in  some  places, 
as  in  Minto  Woods,  Denholm  Dean,  &c.  Inula  Helenium. — 
Introduced  into  the  woods  at  Wells,  where  it  has  increased 
extensively. 

Bellis  PerennU  and  Chrysanthemum  Leucanthemum. — Very 
common.  C.  Segetum. — Scarce  and  local  ;  field  near 
Ashybank,  not  far  from  Cavers ;  corn  fields  near  Jed- 
burgh— rare. 

Matricaria  Parthenium. — Not  very  common ;  Crowbyres 
Bridge  on  the  Slitrig  abundant,  and  occasionally  elsewhere. 
M.  Inodora  and  M.  Chamomilla. — In  corn  fields  and  waste 
places,  pretty  common.  Anthemis  Cotula. — With  the  pre- 
ceding, frequent. 

Achillea  Millefolium  and  A.  Ptarmica. — Both  common, 
especially  the  former. 

CAMPANTJLACE.E. 

C.  Rotundifolia. — Very  plentiful.  C.  Trachelium. — Rare ; 
"Roxburgh" — (Watson).      C.  Latifolia. — This  handsome 


*  Nardosmia  Fragrans,  a  fine  species  of  Coltsfoot,  is  natura- 
ised  in  the  woods  about  Wells. 


KOXBTJRGHSHIRE,   ETC.  391 

species  is  frequent  in  woods,  as  in  Minto  Bank,  Denholm 
Dean,  near  Kelso,  &c.,  sometimes  with  white  flowers.* 

Vacciniace^e. 

Vacinium  Myrtillus. — In  elevated  moorish  districts  com- 
mon. Lamblairs,  near  Minto ;  Wells  Woods ;  summit  of 
the  Eildons,  &c.  V.  Vitis  Idcea. — Scarce.  Summit  of 
Cheviots,  Carter,  Wisp,  Skelfhillpen,  and  other  elevations 
towards  the  head  of  Teviotdale,  but  seldom  in  any  quantity. 

V.  Oxycoccos. — Rare.  Clerklands  Moss,  Alemoor  Loch, 
&c.  "Abundant  in  Hoselaw  Loch,  on  the  borders  of  the 
parish  of  Yetholm  "— (S.  A.)     "  Hawick  parish  "— (S.  A.) 

Ericaceae. 

E.  Tetralix. — Very  plentiful  among  the  common  ling. 
E.  Cinerea. — Also  frequent  in  the  same  situations.  Calluna 
Vulgaris. — The  plant  which  clothes  and  gives  so  peculiar  a 
character  to  many  of  our  uplands  and  mountain  sides.  It 
descends  in  some  places  to  a  very  low  level,  and  in  others 
rises  to  an  elevation  of  3000  feet. 

Arctostaphylos  Uva  Ursi. — Rare.  I  once  found  it  on  the 
Wisp. 

Pyrolace^e. 

Pyrola  Minor. — Lamblairs,  north  from  Minto ;  very  abun- 
dant, growing  among  heather  and  the  Vaccinium  Myrtillus. 

AQUIFOLIACEiE. 

Ilex  Aquifolium. — Holly. 

OLEACEiE. 

Ligustrum  Vulgare. — In  hedges,  frequent.  Fraxinus 
Excelsior. 

*  C.  Rapunculoides,  a  rare  species,  which  I  once  found  near 
Minto,  and  therefore  included  in  the  list  of  rare  plants  in  the 
Statistical  Account  of  that  parish,  is  not  now  to  be  found  there, 
nor  probably  elsewhere  in  the  county. 


392          THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Apocynace^e. 

Vinca  Minor. — Frequent  in  woods,  perhaps  in  all  cases 
naturalised. 

Gentianace.e. 

Erythrcea  Centaurium. — Although  this  plant  is  pretty 
frequent  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  I  never  saw  it  but 
once  in  Koxburghshire,  and  that  was  by  the  roadside  near 
Bedrule  Manse.  Gentiana  Amarella. — Rare.  Cleugh  near 
the  Tower  Farm,  at  the  foot  of  Ruberslaw.  G.  Campestris. 
— Frequent  in  dry  pastures.  Hills  in  Teviothead,  Hawick 
Moors,  Minto  Hills,  &c. 

Menyanthes  Trifoliata.— This  beautiful  plant  is  of  pretty 
common  occurrence  in  marshes  and  boggy  places.  It  is  said 
not  to  be  partial  to  greywacke  districts  ;  but  I  have  noticed 
no  difference  in  this  respect  among  the  geological  formations 
occurring  here. 

POLEMONIACE^ 

Polemonium  Caeruleum. — Rare.  Scaurs  by  the  side  of 
the  Rule,  Cavers  ;  probably  not  indigenous,  but  it  appears 
to  be  so  on  the  rocky  banks  of  the  Coquet,  just  beyond  the 
Scottish  border. 

BORAGINACEiE. 

Ecliium  Vulgare. — Minto  Craigs,  Melrose  Abbey,  Rox- 
burgh. Pulmonaria  Officinalis. — Woods  about  Hassenden- 
burn,  and  occasionally  in  other  places  ;  not  native. 

Litliospermum  Arvense. — Corn  fields  ;  not  common.  L. 
Officinale. — "Roxburgh" — (Watson).  Myosotis  Palustris. 
— Abundant.  M.  Sylvatica. — Wooded  banks  of  the  Jed, 
and  similar  places,  but  not  common.  M.  Arvensis. —Fields 
and  gardens  ;  plentiful.  M.  Versicolor. — Wet  meadows  and 
woods  ;  not  rare.     Denholm  Dean,  &c. 

Anchusa  Sempervirens. — A  frequent  outcast  of  gardens. 
About  Cavers,  Teviotbank,  Burnfoot,  &c. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  393 

Lycopsis  Arvensis. — Fields  near  Kelso  ;  near  Melrose. 
Symphytum  Tuberosum. — Banks  of  the  Tweed  below  Dry- 
burgh,  and  in  a  few  other  places  ;  apparently  rare. 

SOLANACE.E. 

Hyoscyamus  Niger. — Not  common.  Near  Denholm  ; 
"Kelso parish"— (S.  A.) 

Solanum  Dulcamara. — In  hedges  and  thickets,  not  in- 
frequent. On  the  Slitrig,  at  various  places ;  Trowmill,  on 
the  Teviot ;  near  Hawick,  Kelso,  Melrose. 

Orobanchace^e. 

Lathrxa  Squamaria. — Abundant  in  Minto  Bank,  near  the 
west  end,  chiefly  on  the  roots  of  the  hazel  ;  Hillsland,  near 
Hawick  ;  banks  of  the  Jed  in  various  places  ;  parasitic  on 
the  roots  of  elms — (A.  Jerdon,  Esq.) 

SCROPHULARIACEJE. 

Veronica  Chamaedrys,  V.  Officinalis,  V.  Beccabunga,  V. 
SerpylU  folio,  V.  Hederifolia,  V.  Agrestis,  V.  Arvensis.— All 
common  in  all  parts  of  the  county.  V.  Scutellata. — In 
damp  ditches,  scarce  ;  Ruberslaw  ;  near  Kelso  ;  borders  of 
fields  in  Kelso  parish.  V.  Anagallis. — Scarce.  M  Ditch  near 
Mossburnford  " — (A.  Jerdon,  Esq.)  V.  Montana. — In  moist 
woods.     Denholm  Dean  ;  banks  of  the  Jed. 

Bartsia  Odontitis. — Barren  gravelly  fields,  frequent. 
Euphrasia  Officinalis,  and  Rlunanthus  Crista-  Galli. — Both 
very  plentiful. 

Melampyrum  Sylvaticum.—  Abundant  in  one  spot  in  Den- 
holm Dean.  I  have  not  seen  it  elsewhere  in  the  county,  but 
the  name  is  included  in  the  list  of  plants  belonging  to  Hawick 
parish  in  the  Statistical  Account. 

Pedicularis  Palustris,  and  P.  Sylvatica. — The  latter  com- 
mon, the  former  not  unfrequent  in  marshes.  Mimulus 
Luteus  is  naturalised  in  the  glen  at  Minto,  and  occurs  at 
times  on  the  banks  of  the  Teviot.  Scrophularia  Nodosa. — ■ 
Frequent. 


394  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Digitalis  Purpurea. — Also  frequent  in  upland  and  rocky 
places.  In  many  places  with  white  flowers.  Linaria  Vul- 
garis.— Plentiful  by  the  sides  of  the  Teviot  and  elsewhere. 
L.  Cynibalaria,  which  occurs  at  times  (as  at  Kirkton),  is 
an  outcast  of  gardens  ;  it  is  not  indigenous  even  to  England. 

Antirrhinum  Magus. — On  old  walls,  occasional ;  but  in- 
troduced. 

Verbascum  Thapsus. — On  Hawick  moor,  east  of  the  re- 
servoir ;  abundant — (Mr  James  Murray). 

Labiate. 

Lycopus  Europaeus. — Scarce.  "  Yetholm  parish" — (S. 
A.)  Linton  Loch,  if  not  destroyed  by  the  drainage  of  the 
loch. 

Menitha  Piperata. — Banks  of  the  Teviot.  M.  Gentilis. — 
Near  Kelso.  M.  Aquatica. — By  the  sides  of  rivers;  com- 
mon. M.  Arvensis  and  M.  Rubra. — Common.  M.  Pule- 
gium. — "Hawick  parish" — (S.  A.)  Thymus  Serpyllum, 
Origanum  Vulgare,  Marrubium  Vulgare,  Teucrium  Scoro- 
donia,  Ajuga  Reptans,  Galiopsis  Tetrahit,  G.  Versicolor, 
Lamium  Album,  L.  Purpureum,  and  L.  Amplexicaule,  are 
all  among  our  most  common  plants.  Ballota  Nigra. — Dry 
bank  near  Roxburgh  Castle — (A.  Jerdon,  Esq.)  ;  banks  of 
the  Tweed  and  Teviot,  occasional.  Betonica  Officinalis. — 
Near  the  entrance  into  Denholm  Dean  ;  Jedwater  ;  TVhit- 
law  Bank,  on  the  Slitrig  ;  banks  of  the  Rule.  Stachys 
Sylvatica,  S.  Silvestris,  S.  Arvensis. — Common.  Nepeta 
Glechoma  and  P.  Vulgaris. — Common.  Scutellaria  Gale- 
riculata. — Scarce.  Westcote,  below  Cavers  Manse.  "  Yet- 
holm parish" — (S.  A.) 

LENTIBULARIACE.E. 

All  the  species  of  Utricularice  are  reputed  to  grow  wild 
in  the  southern  counties  of  Scotland.  We  have  found  only 
U.  Vulgaris,  near  Melrose.  Pinguicula  Vulgaris  is  plentiful 
in  moorlands. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  395 

PrIMULACEjE. 

Primula  Vulgaris  and  P.  Veris. — Common  ;  the  latter 
somewhat  local,  but  plentiful  when  it  does  occur.  Lysi- 
macJda  Nemorum. — Frequent  in  woods.  L.  Nummularia. — 
Scarcely  indigenous  in  the  county.  Near  the  source  of  the 
Coquet,  but  mostly  to  the  south  of  the  border  line — (Mr 
James  Murray).  L.  Vulgaris. — Near  Melrose  and  at  Dry- 
burgh.  Anagallis  Arvensis. — Occasional.  A.  Tenella. — 
Boggy  places,  somewhat  rare.     Ruberslaw. 

PLANTAGINACE.E. 

Plantago  Major  and  P.  Lanceolata. — Abundant.  P. 
Media. — Local.  I  have  never  seen  it  in  the  south-western 
districts  of  the  county.  It  is  first  met  with,  in  some  plenty, 
in  going  down  the  Teviot,  at  Crailing,  and  occurs  near 
Kelso ;  but  the  most  abundant  locality  is  the  neighbourhood 
of  Bowden,  and  the  southern  base  of  the  Eildon  Hills.  In 
this  locality  the  plant  is  undoubtedly  indigenous  ;  and 
Hooker  and  Arnott  must  be  mistaken  when  they  state  that 
it  is  not  a  native  of  Scotland,  but  has  been  introduced  with 
grass  seeds.  P.  Coronopus  is  likewise  met  with.  Cheno- 
podium  Album,  and  C.  Bonus  Henricus. — Pretty  frequent  in 
waste  places  near  road  sides.  Atriplex  Patula. — Rather 
common. 

Scleranthace^e 

Scleranthus  Annuas. — In  corn-fields  plentiful. 
Polygonace^e. 

Polygonum  Aviculare,  P.  Persicaria,  P.  Lapathifolium, 
are  the  most  common  species,  and  are  met  with  throughout 
the  county.  P.  Amphibuim  is  less  frequent,  but  occurs  in 
ponds  and  stagnant  pools  by  the  side  of  the  Tweed  and 
Teviot.  P.  Convolvulus. — Plentiful  in  corn-fields  and  gar- 
dens in  the  central  parts  of  the  county.  P.  Bistorta. — 
Rare.  Denholm  Dean  ;  about  Cavers,  Branxholm ;  woods  at 
Bonjedward.  Rumex  Crispus  and  R.  Obtusifolius. — Com- 
mon.    R.  Aquaticus. — I  have  seen  this  on  the  Tweed  below 


396  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Dry  burgh,  but  it  seems  rare.  it.  Sanguineus. — Rather  rare. 
R.  Conglomerates. — Watery  places;  not  very  common.  R. 
Acelosa,  and  R.  Asetosella. — Very  common. 

ElVfrETRACE.E. 

Empetrum  Nigrum. — This  plant,  one  of  the  most  truly 
Alpine  species  we  possess,  is  found  on  most  of  the  elevated 
moorland  districts  in  the  county,  but  not  generally  in  great 
abundance,  except  in  some  parts  of  the  Cheviot  range ;  on 
the  hills  towards  the  source  of  the  Teviot,  particularly  when 
producing  heather ;  Windburgh ;  Ruberslaw. 

EUPHORBIACE^. 

Mercurialis  Perennis. — Very  abundant  in  woods.  Eu- 
phorbia Helioscopia  and  E.  Peplus,  *  are  the  only  two  species 
that  can  be  regarded  as  common,  the  latter  only  in  some 
places.  E.  Exigua  I  have  seen,  but  seldom  ;  but  it  occurs 
in  fields  near  St  Boswell's,  and  in  some  other  situations. 
E.  Esula. — This  fine  species  once  grew  in  great  abundance 
on  the  haughs  of  the  Teviot,  nearly  opposite  Deanfoot,  but 
has  become  extinct  in  that  locality.  Mr  Andrew  Scott  of 
Denholm,  a  zealous  botanist,  transplanted  specimens  from 
this  spot  into  various  parts  of  the  county. 

CallitrichacEjE. 

Callitriclie  Verna. — Sides  of  ponds,  and  places  frequently 
inundated  ;  pretty  frequent. 

UrTICACEjE. 

Urtica  Urens  and  U.  Dioica. — Common. 

ULMACEvE. 

Ulmas  Campestris. 

* E.  Peplis,  a  species  included  in  the  Hawick  List  (Stat.  Ac.) 
is  either  a  mistake  in  regard  to  the  true  character  of  the  plant,  or 
a  mistake  for  E.  Peplus.     E.  Peplis  is  not  a  native  of  Scotland. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  397 

Betulace^e. 

Betula  Alba  and  Alnns  Glutinosa. — These  two  trees  form 
patches  of  natural  wood  in  many  parts  of  the  county,  and 
must  at  one  time  have  covered  large  districts. 

Salicace^e. 

The  genus  Salix,  one  of  great  extent,  and  of  difficult  in- 
vestigation, has  not  been  studied  with  sufficient  care  in  this 
quarter  to  enable  me  to  give  a  full  enumeration  of  the  in- 
digenous species.  I  can  only  mention,  therefore,  a  few  of 
the  best  marked  kinds,  without  attempting  anything  like  a 
complete  list.  8.  Viminalis,  S.  Cinerea,  and  8.  Caprea. — 
Pretty  common  ;  the  first  mentioned  abundant  on  the  banks 
of  rivers.  S.  Alba. — Occasional.  8.  Fragilis.—ln  many 
places.  S.  Purpurea. — Banks  of  the  Tweed.  S.  Fusca  (S. 
Repens). — "  On  a  hedge-bank  to  the  north  of  the  farm  house 
of  Prieston,  in  Bowden  Parish  " — (S.  A.)  8.  Pentandra, 
and  S.  Russelliana  (var.  of  S.  Fragilis). — "  Banks  of  Tweed 
and  Teviot,  forming  large  handsome  trees  " — (S.  A.) 

Populus  Tremula. — The  only  species  strictly  indigenous. 
Fagus  Sylvatica,  Quercus  Robur,  Corylus  Avellana,  Pinus 
Sylvestris,  are  all  equally  common  in  this  district  as  in  other 
parts  of  the  south  of  Scotland.  Carpinus  Betulus. — Occa- 
sional. Juniperus  Communis. — Not  frequent ;  hill  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Tweed  ;  in  Melrose  parish. 

Taxus  Baccata. — Occasionally  met  with,  but  probably  in 
no  case  native. 

Conifers. 

The  only  species  of  this  family  that  need  be  mentioned  is 
Juniperus  Communis,  which,  though  not  generally  distri- 
buted, is  plentiful  in  some  localities. 

Oechidaceje. 

Epipactis  Latifolia. — Plentiful  in  the  central  dirtricts  of 
the  county.  Particularly  abundant  about  Minto  and  in 
Denholm  Dean ;   Towershaw ;  woods  at  Kelso  ;   Melrose ; 


398          THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Hawick;  and  Jedburgh.  E.  Palustris. — Woods  on  the 
Tweed  at  Dryburgh. 

Listera  Ovata. — Not  rare.  Woods  about  Minto,  very 
plentiful  and  luxuriant;  fir  wood  near  Jedburgh — (A. 
Jerdon,  Esq.)  "  Yetholm  parish" — (S.  A.)  L.  Cordata. 
— Eare.  Ruberslaw ;  pastures  at  Teviothead  ;  not  unfre- 
quent.  L.  Nidus-Avis. — This  curious  plant  must  be  regarded 
as  rare,  but  perhaps  it  is  often  overlooked.  The  only  two 
localities  with  which  I  am  acquainted  are  Denholm  Dean, 
and  banks  of  the  Jed,  near  the  King  of  the  Wood. 

Orchis  Mascula,  0.  Latifolia,  0.  Maculata. — Frequent.* 
Gymnadenia  Conopsea. — Moors  and  upland  pastures,  not  un- 
frequent.  Kuberslaw  ;  Hawick  Moor.  Habenaria  Viridis. 
— Teviothead  ;  Cheviots.  H.  Bifolia. — Pastures  at  Teviot- 
head, and  elsewhere  ;  not  uncommon. 

Iridace^e. 

Iris  Pseud- Acorus. — Common. 

AmARYLLIDACEjE. 

Narcissus  Pseudo — Narcissus. — Not  indigenous  in  Scot- 
land, but  frequently  planted  out  in  woods,  as  at  Branxholm 
Park.  Galanthus  Nivalis. — Occuring  in  similar  circum- 
stances. Very  abundant  at  Branxholm  Park ;  woods  about 
Fernihirst,  &c. 

Trilliace.e. 

Paris  Quadrifolia. — Boggy  woods  near  Mossburnford — 
(A.  Jerdon,  Esq.)  This  is  the  only  locality  L  am  acquainted 
with  in  this  quarter. 

Liliace^e. 

Polygonatum  Multiflorum. — Woods  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jed.    Agraphis  Nutans. — Woods  ;  not  rare.     Minto  Bank ; 

*    Orchis  Morio. —  "Hawick    parish" — (S.    A.)       This  plant, 
according  to   Mr   Watson,   has   probably  never  been  found  in 
Scotland  ;  it  has  evidently  been  included  in  the  list  referred  to  b 
mistake. 


399 


Denholm  Dean.  Allium  Ursinum. — Not  unfrequent  on  the 
banks  of  the  Jed  ;  banks  of  the  Rule,  near  Wells  ;  Branx- 
holm  woods,  very  abundant ;  woods  near  Kelso.  Ornitho- 
galum  Umbellatum. — "  Banks  of  the  Jed,  near  the  old  castle 
of  Ferniherst" — (Hooker  aud  Arnott).  Gagea  Lutea. — Rare. 
Denholm  Dean,  above  the  Cottage.  "  Banks  of  the  Jed. 
near  Fernihirst" — (A.  Jerdon,  Esq.) 

JlJNCACE^E. 

Juncus  Effusus,  J.  Conglomerates. — Almost  equally  com- 
mon. J.  Glaucus  and  J.  Acutiflorus. — Also  pretty  common ; 
particularly  the  latter  in  bogs.  J.  Lampocarpus,  J.  Com- 
pressus,  J.  Bufonius. — Occasional.  The  last  mentioned 
abundant  in  places  occasionally  under  water.  J.  Sqarrosus. 
— In  boggy  and  heathy  ground.  A  plant  of  great  value  in 
the  sheep  pastures,  especially  in  the  south-west  of  the  county, 
as  it  springs  up  long  before  any  of  the  grasses,  and  affords 
the  first  fresh  herbage  in  early  spring.  Luzula  Sylvatica  and 
L.  Pilosa. — In  woods  ;  not  unfrequent;  and  also  on  moun- 
tains, as  the  Wisp.  L.  Campestris. — Plentiful  in  woods  and 
pastures.  Two  varieties  occur.  Narthecium  Ossifragum. — 
Moors;  occasional.    Ruberslaw;  Malcolm's  Moss ;  Minto,&c. 

ALISMACE.E. 

Alisma  Plantago.  —  Common  in  stagnant  water  ;  fre- 
quently in  company  with  A.  Ranunculoides. 

JUNCAGINACEJE. 

Triglochin  Palustre. — Banks  of  the  Teviot,  &c. ;  not  unfre- 
quent. 

Typhace^e. 

Typha  Latifolia. — Occasional.  Denholm  Cauld  ;  sides  of 
the  Tweed,  &c.  Sparganium  Ramosum. — Not  rare.  S. 
Natans. — Rare.  Bog  at  Fairnington — (A.  Jerdon,  Esq.) 
S.  Simplex.— Pond  in  Fleurs  Park— (B.  B.) 


400  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

ArACEjE. 

Arum  Maculatum.  —  Occasional.  Glen  below  Minfco 
House  ;  banks  of  the  Tweed  about  Kelso. 

Orontiace^. 
Acorus  Calamus. — "  Roberton  parish" — (S.  A.)* 

Pistace,e. 
Lemna  Minor. — Stagnant  waters  ;  frequent. 

Naiadace^e. 

Potamogeton  Pectinatum,P.Pusillum,P.Crispum,  P.Lucens, 
P.  Natans,  are  all  pretty  frequent  in  pools  by  the  side  of  the 
Teviot.  P.  Perfoliatus. — Sides  of  the  Teviot,  near  Ormis- 
ton — (A.  Jerdon,  Esq.)  P.  Gramineum. — Yetholm  Loch, 
and  pools  at  the  west  end  of  Hoselaw  Loch — (B.  B.) 

GlUMACEjE. 

Blysmus  Compressus. — Sides  of  the  Teviot  below  Chesters ; 
sides  of  the  Tweed  in  Fleurs  Park — (B.  B.) 

Eiiocharis  Palustris. — Denholm  Cauld  and  elsewhere  ;  not 
rare. 

Scirpus  Lacustris. — Loch  to  the  west  of  Branxholm  Loch. 
Sides  of  the  Tweed,  and  similar  situations,  occasional.     S. 

*  This  plant  is  inserted  here  in  consequence  of  its  being  included 
in  the  list  of  those  said  to  be  found  in  Roberton  parish,  in  the 
Statistical  Account.  Hooker  says  that  it  is  very  rare  in  Scotland, 
and  as  I  have  never  seen  it,  nor  heard  of  its  occurrence  in  the 
county,  the  locality  must  be  regarded  as  extremely  doubtful,  the 
more  especially  as  the  same  list  includes  Adiantum  Cajrillus  Veneris, 
which  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  does  not  occur  in  the  district. 
The  same  remark  applies  to  Cynoglossum  Officinale,  in  the  same 
list,  which  seems  to  have  been  copied  out  of  some  Materia  Medica, 
without  the  least  knowledge  of  the  objects  to  which  the  names 
apply. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  401 

Sylvaticus. — Scarce ;  side  of  the  Teviot  near  Sunlaws — (A. 
Jerdon,  Esq.)  S.  Caespitosus. — Moors,  very  plentiful. 
Eriophorum  Vaginatum. — Frequent  on  damp  moors ;  abun- 
dant among  the  Cheviots,  Liddesdale,  &c.  E.  Augustifolium 
(including  Tar.  Polystachion). — Common.  E.  Latifolium. 
— Occasionally  with  the  others,  but  much  rarer. 

Carex  Dioica,  C.  Pulicaris. — Bogs  ;  occasional.  C.  Stel- 
lulata,  C.  Curta,  C.  Remota,  C.  Paniculata,  C.  Acuta,  C. 
Ccespitora,  G.  Vinervis,  C.  Pendula,  C.  Glauca,  C.  Praecox, 
C.  Paladosa,  and  C.  Riparia. — All  these  carices  occur  with- 
in the  county,  but  there  are  doubtless  many  others  which 
have  been  overlooked,  as  the  genus  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive in  the  British  flora,  and  the  plants  are  often  incon- 
spicuous, and  distinguished  from  each  other  by  characters 
which  do  not  readily  strike  the  eye. 

Gramine^e. 
Ant/wxanthum  Odoratum. — Abundant  in  all  pasture  lands, 
and  sometimes  observed  on  our  highest  hills.  Nardus 
Stricta. — A  well  marked  grass,  tufts  of  which  cover  every 
mOor.  Alopecurus  Pratensis. — A  valuable  and  common 
grass  in  pastures.  A.  Geniculatus. — By  the  side  of  rivers, 
and  in  places  occasionally  inundated  ;  pretty  frequent. 
PTialaris  Arundinacea. — Abundant  by  the  sides  of  rivers, 
burns,  &c.  Phleum  Pratense. — A  common  and  nutritious 
pasture  grass.  Agrostis  Vulgaris  and  A.  Alba. — Both 
plentiful  in  pastures.  A.  Canina  likewise  occurs,  but  it 
is  not  so  abundant  in  many  places.  Aira  Ccespitosa. — 
Plentiful  in  rough  grassy  places.  A.  Flexuosa. — On  moors 
and  hill  sides,  not  unfrequent ;  Minto  Craigs.  A.  Caryo- 
pliyllea. — Not  unfrequent  in  dry  gravelly  places.  A.  Prce- 
cox. — On  the  tops  of  turf  dykes  and  shallow  sandy  soils ; 
occasional.  Molinia  Caerulea. — Heaths  and  moor  lands ; 
frequent ;  Dunian,  Ruberslaw.  Melica  Urdflora. — Ap- 
parently scarce;  near  Abbotsford.  Holcus  Mollis  and  H. 
Lanatus. — Both  common  in  woods  and  meadows. 

2c 


402  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Arrhenatlierum  Avenaceum. — Plentiful  by  the  sides  of 
ditches ;  on  the  banks  of  the  Teviot,  &c.  Its  tuberous 
roots,  which  have  procured  for  it  the  name  of  Knotgrass, 
render  it  a  troublesome  weed  in  cultivated  fields.  Poa 
Aquatica. — I  find  among  my  notes  a  locality  for  this  species, 
observed  many  years  ago,  on  the  Tweed  near  Dryburgh ; 
but  I  give  it  with  some  doubt,  as  it  is  not  included  in  u  Dr 
Johnston's  Border  Botany."  Mr  Watson,  however,  regards 
it  as  a  native  of  the  southern  counties  of  Scotland.  P. 
Fluitans. — Frequent  in  ditches  and  shallow  stagnant  pools. 
P.  Compressa. — Wall-tops  and  barren  ground;  Melrose 
Abbey.  P.  Pratensis  and  P.  Trivialis. — Abundant  in 
meadows.  P.  Nemoralis.—~N ot  common ;  Denholm  Dean. 
P.  Annua. — The  most  abundant  of  all  the  grasses  in  the 
lower  parts  of  the  county.  Triodia  Decumbens. — Heathy 
places  ;  pretty  frequent.  Briza  Media. — Frequent  in  pas- 
tures. Dactylis  Glomerata.  The  large  tufts  of  this  strong 
rough  grass  are  very  frequent  by  the  sides  of  fields  and  pas- 
ture lands.  Cynosurus  Cristatus. — Abundant  in  pastures. 
Festuca  Bromoides. — On  wall  tops  ;  among  stones  on  unfre- 
quented roads  ;  not  unfrequent.  F.  Ovina. — The  principal 
ingredient  in  forming  the  turf  in  pasture  lands  in  the  higher 
parts  of  the  county,  as  at  Teviothead  ;  occasionally  also  on 
wall  tops  and  woods  in  the  lower  districts.  F.  Pratensis, 
F.  Elatior,  F.  Gigantea. — These  conspicuous  grasses  occur 
in  most  of  our  woods  and  glens  in  the  central  parts  of  the 
county  ;  the  two  latter  are  among  the  tallest  species  we  pos- 
sess, and  are  often  associated  with  the  still  taller  Bromus 
Asper,  which  is  at  once  distinguished  from  them  by  its  darker 
green,  and  by  having  its  leaves  and  sheaths  hairy,  the  hairs 
on  the  sheaths  pointing  downwards.  The  grass  Bromus 
Asper,  is  not  unfrequent  in  shady  woods,  as  at  Minto,  in 
Denholm  Dean,  and  seldom  fails  to  attract  notice  by  its 
height  and  gracefully  drooping  panicle.  B.  Sterilis. — Waste 
places ;  but  seemingly  scarce  in  the  district.  B.  Mollis. — The 
most  abundant  species  of  the  genus  ;  in  fields,  meadows,  and 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  403 

by  roadsides.  Avena  Fatua. — Not  unfrequent  in  fields.  A. 
Pratensis  and  A.  Pubescens. — Occasional.  A.  Flavescen. — 
Common.  Phragmites  Communis. — Margin  of  ponds  and 
rivers  ;  but  not  common.  Triticum  Caninum. — Not  very 
common ;  Denholm  Dean,  &c.  T  Repens. — Everywhere  a 
common  weed.  BracJiypodium  Sylvaticum. — A  fine  grass, 
and  pretty  frequent  in  woods  in  the  central  districts  of  the 
county.  It  grows  generally  in  patches,  and  is  readily  known 
by  its  broad,  rather  light  green  leaves,  and  sessile  spikelets. 
The  foliage  is  soft  and  copious,  and  it  seems  a  grass  which 
might  be  cultivated  with  advantage,  although  I  am  not 
aware  that  it  has  hitherto  been  applied  to  any  useful  pur- 
pose. Lolium  Perenne. — Abundant.  L.  Temulentum. — 
Occasional. 

FERNS— Filices. 

POLYPODIACE^E. 

Gen.Polypodium.— P.  Vulgare.— (Common  Polypody.)— 
Abundant  in  damp  shady  woods,  on  the  trunks  of  old  trees, 
moist  rocks  and  walls,  &c.     Several  varieties  occur. 

P.  Phegopteris. — (Pale  mountain  P.) — Occasionally  met 
with  on  rocky  elevations  in  different  parts  of  the  county  ; 
Ruberslaw ;  neighbourhood  of  Jedburgh ;  in  crevices  of 
rocks  among  the  Cheviots,  and  the  mountainous  country  to- 
wards the  sources  of  the  Teviot. 

P.  Dryopteris. — (Three-branched  P.) — This  delicate  spe- 
cies is  rather  scarce,  but  occurs  in  several  localities  adapted 
to  its  habits,  such  as  Ruberslaw,  under  the  shade  and  shel- 
ter of  large  fragments  of  rock,  among  the  Cheviots,  and, 
according  to  Mr  Moor,  near  Wauchope. 

Gen.  Aspidium. — A.  Lobatum. — (Close-leaved  prickly- 
shield  Fern.)— Moist  woods  and  shady  banks,  not  unfrequent. 

A.  Aculeatum,  by  some  botanists  regarded  as  a  variety  of 
the  Lobatum,  by  others  as  a  distinct  species,  likewise  occurs 
in  similar  situations,  but  is  much  rarer}  wood  near  Lintalee — 
(A.  Jerdon,  Esq.) 


404         THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

A.  Angulare. — Linthaughlee,  Roxburghshire— (B.  B.) 
A.  Orcopteris. — (Heath-shield  Fern.) — Ruberslaw,  Eildon 
Hills,  Cheviots,  and  similar  situations,  frequent. 

A.  Fllix  Mas. — (Male  or  common  shield  Fern.) — One  of 
the  most  elegant  and  abundant  of  our  indigenous  ferns, 
occurring  everywhere  in  shady  woods,  and  adorning  the 
sloping  banks  with  its  plume-like  tufts  of  tender  green, 
which  contrast  finely  with  the  deep  russet  scales  clothing  the 
stipes.  It  is  not  often  seen  in  greater  perfection  in  Scotland 
than  in  the  deep  wooded  glen  below  Minto  House.  Several 
varieties  are  met  with. 

A.  Spinulosum. — (Prickly-toothed  shield  Fern.) — Not  un- 
frequent,  and  presenting  numerous  varieties ;  Denholm 
Dean,  woods  near  Kelso. 

Gen.  Cystopteris. — C.  Fragilis. — (Brittle-bladder 
Fern.) — In  mountainous  situations  ;  not  very  common ; 
Ruberslaw,  Cheviots,  Coldstream  moor. 

Gfn.  Asplenium. — A.  Septentrionale. — (Forked  Spleen- 
wort.) — The  most  abundant  locality  in  Scotland  for  this 
very  remarkable  fern  is  Minto  Craigs.  It  was  once  plenti- 
ful on  Arthur's  Seat,  and  occasionally  met  with  on  Black- 
ford Hill,  near  Edinburgh,  but  is  now  scarce  in  these  places, 
and  there  is  a  probability  of  its  soon  becoming  extirpated 
altogether.  Large  quantities  have  likewise  been  carried 
away  from  Minto  Craigs,  and  not  a  little  wantonly  rooted 
up  ;  but  it  still  exists  in  some  plenty,  and  will  long  continue 
to  form  one  of  the  many  botanical  attractions  of  these  beau- 
tiful rocks,  if  visitors  do  not  abuse,  more  than  they  have 
hitherto  done,  the  privilege  they  enjoy  of  unrestricted  access 
to  them. 

A.  Germanicum. — A.  Alternifolium  of  many  authors. — 
(Alternate-leaved Spleenwort.) — This  curious  species,  occupy- 
ing an  intermediate  place  between  A.  Septentrionale  and  A, 
Ruta-Muraria,  must  be  ranked  among  the  rarest  of  our 
native  ferns.  It  is  not  only  very  sparingly  distributed,  but 
occurs  in  very  small  quantities  in  the  places  where  it  is 
found.     I  have  seen  only  one  tuft  of  it,  growing  in  a  fissure 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  405 

of  the  greenstone  cliffs  of  Minto  Craigs  ;  probably  a  careful 
examination  of  the  less  accessible  parts  of  the  rocks  might 
be  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  other  examples.  The  one 
in  question  was  unfortunately  carried  off,  and  it  cannot  at 
present  be  positively  asserted  that  the  plant  is  to  be  found  in 
this  locality.  There  is  a  kind  of  traditionary  report  that  it 
is  indigenous  to  "  rocks  near  Kelso,"  as  mentioned  by  Sir 
W.  J.  Hooker  and  Mr  Moore.  The  only  authority  for  this 
statement  is  that  it  was  found  near  Kelso  upwards  of  fifty 
years  ago  by  Mr  Dickson  of  Edinburgh,  but,  though  dili- 
gently searched  for  afterwards  by  Dr  Douglas  and  other 
botanists,  it  could  not  again  be  discovered.  It  is  probably 
therefore  extinct  in  that  locality. 

A.  Ruta-Muraria. — (Wall-Rue  Spleenwort.) — I  do  not 
remember  to  have  seen  this  small  and  well-known  species 
within  the  limits  of  the  county,  except  on  one  occasion,  on 
the  walls  of  Melrose  Abbey.*  It  is  not  rare,  however,  in 
most  of  the  adjoining  counties,  and  it  is  more  likely  that  it 
has  been  overlooked,  than  that  it  does  not  exist,  in  many 
localities. 

A.  Trichomanes. — (Maiden-hair  Spleenwort.) — In  the 
crevices  of  moist  rocks',  and  on  old  walls  ;  generally  distri- 
buted. The  variety  having  the  ends  of  the  fronds  tasselled 
(A.  Multifidum),  has  been  found  on  Minto  Craigs.  I  am 
not  aware  that  its  near  ally  A.  Viride,  so  well  distinguished 
by  the  colour  of  its  rachis,  is  indigenous  to  the  district,  al  ■ 
though  localities  are  asigned  to  it  in  several  of  the  adjoining 
counties. 

A.  Adiantum  Nigrum. — (Black  Maiden-hair  Spleenwort.) 
— A  very  ornamental  species,  and  of  pretty  frequent  occur- 
rence throughout  the  county. 

A.  Filix  Fcemina. — (Lady  Fern.) — In  such  places  as  the 
A.  Filix  Mas,  and  sometimes   almost  equally  abundant. 

*  Crevices  of  walls  at    St    Cuthbert's    Green,    Melrose.— 
(John  Alex.  Smith,  M.D.) 


406         THE  HISTOKY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

The  variety  Rhaeticum  is  said  to  have  been  found  near  Jed- 
burgh. 

Gen.  Scolopendrium. — S.  Vulgare. — (Common  Hart's 
Tongue.) — Not  common  ;  banks  of  the  Jed,  woods  near 
Kelso,  Ormiston  Castle  well,  Denholm  Dean. 

Gen.  Pteris. — P.  Aquilina. — (Common  Brake.) 

Gen.  Allosorus. — A.  Crispas.— (Rock  Brakes  or  Moun- 
tain Parsley.) — Among  the  rocky  debris  on  the  sides  and  at 
the  bottom  of  mountains;  Ruberslaw,  Eildon  hills,  Penchrist, 
Skelfhillpen,  Wisp. 

Gen.  Blechnium. — B.  Boreale.— (Hard  Fern.) — Tn  heathy 
and  stony  places,  especially  if  somewhat  damp  ;  rather  com- 


OpHIOGLOSSACEjE. 

Gen.  Botrichium.—  B.  Lunaria.— (Moonwort.) — Rather 
rare.  Near  Stirches  tile-works,  Hawick  moor,  in  great 
plenty  in  1856 ;  hills  between  the  Ale  and  Borthwick ;  Rubers- 
law ;  "  Bemerside  Hill," — (Moore)  ;  Essenside  hill,  most 
abundant  in  1856. 

LYCOPODIACE.E. 

Gen.Lycopodium. — L.Clavatum. — (CommonClub-Moss.) 
Known  in  this  county  by  the  name  Fox-Foot,  and  of  fre- 
quent occurrence  in  upland  moorlands  ;  Ruberslaw,  formerly 
much  more  abundant  than  now  ;  Dunion,  Cheviots,  Wisp, 
and  many  other  of  the  Teviothead  hills,  Eildon,  &c. 

L.  Alpinum. — (Savin-leaved  Club-Moss.)— Much  less  fre- 
quent than  the  preceding.  Ruberslaw,  Eildons,  Cheviot, 
Skelfhillpen. 

L.  Selago. — (Fir  Club-Moss.) — In  the  fissures  of  rocks, 
and  on  a  damp  peaty  soil ;  pretty  frequent.  To  be  found  in 
all  the  localities  cited  for  the  two  preceding  species. 

Gen.  Selaginella. —  £.  Sjrinosa. — (Prickly  Mountain 
Moss.)— Marshy  spots  on  the  declivities  of  Ruberslaw,  and 
probably  elsewhere  in  similar  situations,  but  requires  to  be 
closely  looked  for. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  407 

Equisetace^e. 

Gen.  Equisetum. — E.  Arvense. — (Corn  Horsetail.) — 
Very  common  in  fields  and  by  roadsides. 

E.  Sylvaticum. — (Branched  wood  Horsetail.) — Somewhat 
local,  but  occurring  in  moist  woods  in  many  parts  of  the 
county. 

E.  Limosum, — (Smooth  naked  Horsetail.) — In  pools  and 
ditches ;  frequent. 

,  E.  Palustre. — (Marsh  Horsetail,) — By  the  sides  of  the 
Teviot,  and  in  boggy  places  ;  plentiful.  E.  PolystacMon,  a 
variety,  has  likewise  been  observed. 

E.Hyemale. — (Rough  Horsetail.)— This  local  species  must 
be  accounted  rare.  Moist  wooded  bank  of  the  Jed,  above 
Mossburnford. 


APPENDIX 


ADDITIONS  AND  CORRECTIONS. 


Vol.  I. 

Page  19. — (I.)  The  Mountains  of  Cheviot  are  thought 
by  many  writers  to  derive  their  name  from  the  British 
Cefyn,  descriptive  of  a  ridge  of  high  semi -circular  moun- 
tains. But  I  am  satisfied  that  the  name  has  its  origin  in 
the  cry  to  the  hounds  ;  the  whole  range  of  mountains 
being  celebrated  hunting-grounds.  The  name  is  not  seen 
in  early  times. 

(2.)  Tinnis  Hill.  The  name  of  this  hill  has  been  im- 
posed by  the  British  people,  and  signifies  the  Fire  Hill: 
Tein-ais.  Its  height  is  about  1846  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea. 

Page  20. — Moss  Paul  is  a  corruption  of  Moss  Pawl,  i.e. 
Mossburn,  or  a  pool  with  an  outlet.  Pawl  is  from  the 
British  speech.  In  the  English  maps  made  during  the  reign 
of  Elizabeth,  the  place  is  marked  Moss-flat  or  plat.  A 
chapel  once  stood  at  this  place,  named  Mosspaivl. 

Page  21. — Dunian.  The  name  of  this  hill  is  derived  from 
Dun,  a  hill ;  and  an  the  diminutive,  in  comparison  with 
other  hills.  It  is  a  little  round  hill,  set  as  it  were  on  the 
summit  of  a  high  ridge. 

Page  25. — BelVs  Cairn.  This  name  is  a  corruption  of 
Blain-cairn  meaning  high  cairn. 


410  THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Page  29. — The  Tweed.  In  the  Chartulary  of  Glasgow 
the  name  is  written  Tued,  and  the  district  Tuedale,  pp.  30, 
42,  50,  55.  A  new  statute  was  passed  in  1857  for  the  re- 
gulation of  the  fisheries  in  the  river,  and  in  1859  it  was 
amended.  By  these  statutes  the  annual  close-time  is  de- 
clared to  be  between  the  14th  day  of  September  in  any  year, 
and  the  1 5th  day  of  February  in  the  year  following,  except 
by  means  of  the  rod  and  line  at  any  time  between  the 
30th  day  of  November  in  any  year  and  the  1st  day  of 
February  in  the  year  following.  The  weekly  close-time  is 
between  the  15th  day  of  February  and  the  14th  of  Septem- 
ber in  any  year,  during  which  period  it  shall  not  be  lawful 
to  take  any  salmon  between  six  o'clock  on  Saturday  after- 
noon,  and  six  o'clock  on  the  following  Monday  morning. 
Fixed  nets  and  engines  are  prohibited.  The  leister  is  also 
prohibited  at  any  time,  and  it  is  unlawful  to  use  the  cleek 
between  the  first  day  of  March  and  the  first  day  of  June, 
for  landing  fish. 

Page  35. — Teviot.  The  name  of  this  river  in  the  char- 
tulary of  Glasgow  is  written  Teuyoth,  Tueiot,  Theui,  Theuid, 
pp.  10,  30,  43,  50,  55,  66,  195.  The  first  mode  of  spelling 
the  name  occurs  in  a  confirmation  charter  of  Alexander 
III.,  of  a  grant  by  Johes  Cumming  of  lands  of  Rulehalch. 
In  the  chronicle  of  Melrose  it  is  written  Theuidale. 

Page  48. — The  Capon  Tree.  In  the  text  this  remark- 
able tree  is  said  to  cover  fully  an  area  of  92  feet,  but  it 
should  have  been  an  area  of  92  feet  diameter.  The  ety- 
mology of  the  name  has  given  rise  to  considerable  discussion. 
In  the  second  volume,  p.  260,  it  is  stated  that  the  result  I 
had  come  to  was  that  the  origin  of  the  name  was  to  be  found 
in  the  remarkable  resemblance  to  the  hood  worn  by  the 
monks  of  Jedworth,  and  which  was  called  a  capon.  While 
the  fourth  volume  was  going  through  the  press,  Dr  Emble- 
ton  of  Beadnel  Cottage,  kindly  sent  me  an  extract  from  the 
letter  of  a  lady  correspondent  of  his,  a  native  of  Wales, 
which  is  as  follows : — "  With  regard  to  the  name  of  Capon 
Tree  given  to  the  old  oak  on  the  banks  of  Jed,  I  should  say, 
the  word  capon  means  a  mitre.  It  is  spelt  in  our  Welsh 
dictionary  cappan.  There  is  a  mitre  oak  about  eight  miles 
from  hence  (Worcester),  which  must  be  more  than  500 
years  old,  and  is  a  grand  specimen  of  ancient  times,  but  was 
injured  by  Gipsies  setting  it  on  fire  some  years  ago."  I  quite 
agree  that  the  name  is  derived  from  kappan,  signifying  a 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  411 

kap  or  cap.  The  cap  was  worn  by  the  British  people  both 
before  and  during  the  Roman  occupation,  and  its  use  and 
name  has  been  transmitted  to  us.  The  hood  of  the  religious 
order  of  St  Austin  was  a  large  cap  covering  the  head  of  the 
canon  in  the  same  way  as  the  branches  of  the  tree  cover  the 
trunk.  I  have  no  doubt  these  trees  obtained  their  names 
from  their  supposed  resemblance  to  the  kappan  or  cappan 
worn  on  the  head.  A  mitre,  although  not  so  like  the  kappan 
of  the  ancient  Briton,  is  a  cappan  or  cover  for  the  head. 
This  I  believe  to  be  the  true  etymology  of  the  word.  It 
seems  clear  beyond  doubt  that  the  name  is  not  derived  from 
kepplng  or  trysting.  The  figure  of  the  cap  or  kappan  is  to 
be  seen  on  the  coins  of  Cunebuline. 

Page  74. — The  accident  referred  to  here  took  place  at  the 
ferry  at  Gala  Water  foot,  and  not  at  Gateside. 

Page  181. — Read  tumults  for  tumuli,  on  the  fourth  line 
from  foot  of  page ;  and  make  the  same  correction  next 
page,  where  the  same  word  appears. 

Page  186. — For  copper  axes  read  bronze  axes. 

Page  195. — Ringley  Hall.  Vide  vol.  iii.  p.  162,  for  a 
full  description  of  this  place. 

Page  202. — The  Caves  in  the  Rocks.  Diversity  of  opi- 
nion exists  as  to  the  period  when  these  caves  were  formed, 
but  after  the  fullest  consideration,  I  am  satisfied  that  I  have 
done. right  in  placing  them  "under  the  first  period  of  the 
occupation  of  the  island."  The  best  authorities  on  the  sub- 
ject agree  that  they  were  "  the  original  dwelling-places  of 
the  first  people." — (Caledonia,  vol.  iii.  pp.  5,  7.)  According 
to  Mr  Wright,  "  Caves,  supposed  to  be  the  habitations  of 
the  early  inhabitants  of  these  islands,  exist  on  the  sea  coast 
near  Torquay,  in  Devonshire,  on  the  Cornish  coast,  and  in 
Kingscaur,  near  Settle,  in  Yorkshire."  These  caves  seem 
to  be  similar  in  form  to  many  of  the  caves  in  our  neighbour- 
hood, viz.,  an  entrance  or  common  passage,  with  lateral 
branches.  In  the  cave  called  Kingshole,  near  Torquay,  were 
found  pottery  of  the  rudest  kind,  sun-baked,  with  zig-zag 
indentations  on  the  margin  ;  articles  of  bone,  flint,  a  spear 
of  iron,  and  a  blade  of  the  same  metal.  I  do  not  say  that 
these  were  the  only  habitations  of  the  Britons,  but  that  they 
were  so  used  by  them,  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt.  Caves 
were  used,  as  occasional  habitations,  at  least,  in  the  land  from 
which  the  first  colonists  came.  u  And  Lot  went  out  of  Zoar, 
and  dwelt  in  the  mountains,  and  his  two  daughters  with 


412  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

him,  for  he  feared  to  dwell  in  Zoar,  and  he  dwelt  in  a  cave, 
he  and  his  two  daughters." — (Gen.  xix.  30.)  Dr  Kitto, 
in  a  note  to  this  verse,  remarks — "  There  is  nothing  extra- 
ordinary in  Lot  resorting  to  a  cave  as  a  residence.  Caverns 
were  probably  the  original  habitations  of  man,  and  after 
tents  and  houses  were  invented  such  still  remained  the 
fixed  habitations  of  some  people,  and  the  occasional  resort 
of  others.  The  mountains  of  Palestine  abound  in  caves, 
some  of  vast  extent,  and  it  was  and  is  customary  for  the 
shepherd  to  occupy  them  while  pasturing  in  the  neighbour- 
hood." Like  the  Hebrew  patriarch,  the  ancient  Briton 
used  the  caves  as  a  residence,  and  his  descendants  as  a 
resort  in  times  of  danger.  I  am  not  moved  by  the  opinions 
held  by  a  few  that  the  aborigines  could  not  have  excavated 
dwellings  in  the  rocks,  as  they  possessed  no  harder  mate- 
rials than  wood  and  bone.  I  do  not  believe  that  there  ever 
did  exist  a  period  in  this  country  when  wood  and  bone  were 
exclusively  used.  I  am  free  to  admit,  however,  that  im- 
plements of  stone  were  extensively  used  in  particular  districts, 
but  never  exclusively  used  anywhere.  The  author  of  the 
work  on  the  early  inhabitants  of  Britain,  while  treating  of 
the  implements  of  stone,  states,  that  they  are  found  abun- 
dantly in  all  parts  of  the  British  Islands,  and  we  may  add 
all  over  the  world,  and  nothing  seems  more  natural,  not  only 
in  a  very  rude  state  of  society,  but  also  in  much  more  civi- 
lized times,  when  communication  between  different  parts  of 
the  country  was  slow,  and  metal  was  not  always  to  be  had, 
than  to  form  rough  tools  or  weapons,  especially  from  the 
choice  of  hard  stones.  It  is  believed  that  the  implements  of 
stone  were  formed  by  metal  instruments,  and  that  a  lathe 
must  have  been  used  in  boring  and  finishing  them,  and  what 
is  more  instructive  still,  an  implement  of  stone  has  been  found 
where  originally  placed,  fixed  to  its  handle  by  an  iron  ferl. 
Stone  and  metal  are  also  found  together  in  tumuli,  beyond 
doubt  British.  Arrow  heads  are  found  with  bronze  daggers  ; 
stone  implements  with  bronze  and  iron.  In  one  barrow  an 
urn,  a  flint  arrow  head,  a  piece  of  iron,  and  a  part  of  a 
horse's  bit  ;  in  the  same  barrow  was  a  stone  cist  which  con- 
tained an  iron  knife,  a  dagger,  and  a  sheathe  of  the*  same 
metal,  a  small  brass  pin,  and  an  arrow  head  of  grey  flint. 
In  short,  stone  implements  are  seldom  found  in  tumuli  un- 
less accompanied  with  articles  of  bronze,  iron,  and  brass. 
Such  facts  as  these  may  well  make  any  reasonable  man 
ignore  the  opinion  that  a  period  existed  when  nothing  bu 


413 

stone  implements  were  used.  As  well  might  it  be  said  be- 
cause the  children  of  Israel  were  circumcised  with  a  flint 
knife,  that  the  stone  period  existed  in  the  days  of  Joshua,  or 
that  David  the  shepherd  lived  in  the  same  period  because  he 
slew  the  champion  of  the  Philistines  with  a  pebble  from  the 
bvook. 

Tacitus  relates  that  the  old  Germans  cut  out  of  the  rocks 
apartments  which  they  occupied  as  receptacles  for  provi- 
sions, or  a  retreat  for  themselves  and  families  in  times  of 
danger. 

Page  205. — Jhomsoii's  Cave.  Correct  the  statement  here 
made  by  the  account  given  on  page  347,  Vol.  ii. 

Page  332. — Melros  Cross.  Part  of  the  cross  is  not  cor- 
rectly described.  It  is  exactly  described  in  the  first  edition, 
but  while  the  sheets  were  passing  through  the  press  I  re- 
ferred to  the  New  Statistical  Account  of  the  parish,  and 
unfortunately  followed  the  description  there  given  of  the 
cross,  in  the  belief  that  I  had  committed  a  mistake.  The 
error  is  however  corrected  in  Vol.  iv.  p.  43. 

Page  330. — Bowden.  In  the  description  of  the  cross  of 
this  baronial  town,  strike  out  the  sentence,  "  the  cross  is 
similar  to  the  one  at  Ancrum,"  and  read  the  description 
given  of  it  at  p.  150  of  Vol.  iv. 

Vol.  II. 

Page  264. — Barony  of  Oxnam.  The  first  possession  of 
the  Hameldon  family  was  Oxnam.  As  early  as  the  reign 
of  Alexander  II.,  Koger  de  Hameldon  was  proprietor  of 
Oxnam  (about  1249).    He  must  have  succeeded  the  Perce's. 

Page  294. — Old  Jedworth.  When  I  wrote  this  part  of 
the  work,  I  believed  with  all  those  who  had  gone  before  me 
that  the  chapel  at  Old  Jedworth  was  the  chapel  referred  to 
by  David  I.  in  his  charter  to  the  Abbey  of  Jedworth  ;  but 
on  further  careful  enquiry  I  am  satisfied  that  the  chapel 
here  referred  to  is  not  the  chapel  of  the  charter.  ,  The  little 
chapel  of  the  charter  stood  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Jed,  on 
the  farm  of  Letham,  directly  on  the  footpath  leading  down 
the  south  side  of  Letham  burn,  by  the  north  bank  to  South- 
dean  Church.  The  site  of  the  chapel  and  the  burying 
ground  may  yet  be  traced.  It  is  exactly  opposite  to  Zern- 
wingslaw.  This  hill  is  now  called  Mervinslaw,  and  I 
thought  it  might,  have  derived  its  name  from  being  the 
ploughed  law,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  it  was  so  named 


414  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

from  its  resemblance  to  the  wing  of  an  eagle — the  ear/le 
tving  law,  or  the  law  that  is  like  the  eagle's  wing.  The 
resemblance  is  very  striking  when  viewed  from  the  high 
grounds  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Jed.  The  site  of  the 
chapel  is  called  "  Wadies-pindle."  The  font  of  the  chapel 
is  in  the  possession  of  Mr  Scott  of  Letham. 


415 


GENERAL   INDEX 


WHOLE    WORK. 


Abbeys  of  Teviotdale,  i.  278. 

Dryburgh,  299  ;  its  situation,  300  ;  its  form  and  remains,  301  ; 
chapter-house,  302  ;  who  founded  the  abbey,  303  ;  burned 
by  Edward  I. — by  Richard  II. — by  Bouro  and  Seaton — and 
by  Earl  Hertford,  304  ;  persons  of  distinction  buried  here, 
ib.;  funeral  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  305 — vide  Dryburgh. 

Jedburgh. —  Situation  and  foundation,  i.  278  ;  David  I.  refounded 
the  house,  279  ;  its  form — its  domestic  buildings,  280  ;  style 
of  architecture,  281  ;  tower  of  the  abbey,  284  ;  great  portion 
of  rums  subsequent  to  the  wars  of  Wallace  and  Bruce,  286 ;  by 
whom  executed,  288  ;  when  was  the  lower  parts  of  the  chan- 
cel built,  289  ;  marriage  of  Alexander  III.  here,  290  ;  the 
appearance  of  a  spectre  in  the  procession,  291  ;  looked  upon 
as  an  evil  omen,  292  ;  theatrical  representations  in  the  abbey, 
ib.;  by  whom  the  abbey  was  burned,  293  ;  persons  buried  in 
the  ruins,  ib.  and  294  ;  ruins,  by  whom  illustrated,  ib. — vide 
Jedburgh. 

Kelso. — Its  situation — form,  204  ;  style  of  the  building,  295  ; 
interlacing  arches,  290  ;  building  resembles  a  Roman  castle, 
297  ;  after  Reformation  turned  into  a  parish  church,  29H  ; 
by  whom  destroyed,  ib.;  foundation  of  house,  299  ;  abbey 
favourite  resting-place  for  dead,  ib.;  colony  of  monks  first 
settled  at  Selkirk,  iii.  44  ;  benefits  conferred  by  foundation 
of  an  abbey,  45  ;  sons  of  nobility  educated  in  abbey,  47 ; 


416         THE  HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

wealth  and  possessions  of  the  abbey,  48  ;  how  lands  were 
cultivated,  ib.  foot  note  ;  steelbow,  what,  50  ;  cottages,  ib.; 
brew  houses,  51 ;  price  of  malt  and  wheat, during  twelfth  and 
thirteenth  centuries,  ib.;  grants  to  the  abbey,  52  ;  fisheries, 
53 ;  right  of  monks  to  bucks  and  does,  54 ;  monks  the  bankers 
of  the  kingdom,  56  ;  the  abbey  exported^'skins,  wool,  and  corn 
at  Berwick,  57  ;  a  sack  of  wool,  what,  ib.;  the  extent  of  the 
possessions  of  monks  in  other  counties,  58  el  sub.;  Lesmaha- 
gow  granted  by  David  I.,  66  ;  revenues  of  abbey,  ib.;  abbey 
exempted  from  excommunication,  68  ;  effect  of  an  interdict 
by  the  Pope,  ib.;  disputes  with  Melros,  09  ;  the  lands  erected 
into  a  regality  by  David  II.,  74  ;  Prince  James  crowned  in 
the  abbey,  75  ;  monastery  reduced  by  Dacre,  76  ;  destroyed 
by  Duke  of  Norfolk,  Bowies,  Laiton,  and  Hertford,  77 ;  Com- 
mendators  of  abbey,  ib.;  Regent  Murray  obtains  grant  of 
abbey,  81  ;  abbey  annexed  to  the  crown,  82 ;  conferred  on  Sir 
Robert  Ker  of  Cessford,  83 — vide  Kelso. 

Mailros. — Etymology  of  the  name,  i.  305; by  whom  founded,  and 
at  what  period,  307,  iv.  29  ;  its  situation  and  scenery,  30  ; 
Eata,  first  abbot,  ib.;  St  Cuthbert  was  educated  here,  and  be- 
came prior,  31  ;  he  was  received  by  prior  Boisil — dream  of 
St  Cuthbert,  ib.;  transferred  to  Lindisfarne,  32  ;  why  women 
forbidden  to  enter  his  church,  ib.;  body  of  St  Cuthbert  re- 
moved from  Lindisfarne,  and  rested  here,  33  ;  legend  of  St 
Cuthbert,  hi.  168  ;  Turgot,  prior  of  Durham,  resided  here, 
iv.  33 ;  David  obtained  this  church  hi  exchange,  34 ;  the  Girth- 
gate,  ib.;  Mailros  had  the  privilege  of  sanctuary,  35  ;  burned 
by  Kenneth  II. 

Melros. — Situation  of  the  new  house,  i.  308  ;  age  of  the  present 
building — its  form  and  whole  remains,  309  ;  style  of  archi- 
tecture and  description  of  ruins,  319  el  sub.,  iv.  41  ;  finest 
view  of  the  ruins,  ib.;  hrst  erection  wholly  destroyed  by  Ed- 
ward II.,  37  ;  domestic  buildings,  where,  37  ;  gardens,  38  ; 
Commendators  of  abbey,  41  ;  Chronicle  of  Melros,  42 ;  re- 
gality of  the  abbey — its  extent,  9-22  ;  annexed  to  the  crown, 
23 — vide  Melros. 
Abbots. 

Kelso.  —  Radulphus,  William,  Herbert,  iii.  44 ;  Ernold, 
John,  Osbert,  67  ;  Geoffrey,  Richard  de  Cave,  Henry,  Rich- 
ard, Herbert  Maunsell,  7"  ;  Hugh  de  Maunsel,  Robert  de 
Smalhame,  71 ;  Patrick,  Henry  de  Lambeden,  72  ;  Richard, 
Walron,  Thomas  de  Durham,  William  de  Alyncrom,  William 
de  Dalgernock,  73  ;  William,  Patrick,  William,  William,  74  ; 
Allan,  Robert,  George,  Robert,  Andrew  Stewart,  75 ;  Thomas 
Kerr,  James  Stewart,  John  Maitland,  Commendator  Both- 
well,  77. 

Mailros.— Eata,  iv.  30  ;  Odunald,  Ethel  wold,  Thevuan,  Wil- 
liam Douglas,  Turgot,  33. 

Melros. — List  of  Abbots,  iv.  39,  40  ;  Commendators,  40. 


417 

Abbotsford,  i.  36,  iv.  74 ;  situation,  ib. ;  building  of  house,  75  ; 
entrance  to  the  house — armoury,  ib. ;  drawing-room  and 
study,  76  ;  dining  room  and  breakfast  parlour,  77  ;  Cauld- 
shiels  Loch,  ib. 

Abernethy,  Hugh  de,  ii.  10  ;  one  of  sheriffs  of  district. 

Abotrule,  ii.  317  ;  parish  of,  ib.;  early  name  of  church  and  manor — 
barony  of,  318  ;  extent  of — belonged  to  the  Abbey  of  Jed- 
burgh, 319. 

Adam,  of  Yetholm,  iii.  265. 

Adrian,  i.  210. 

Agricola,  Julius,  i.  208. 

Agriculture,  notices  of,  iv.  342  ;  state  of  at  time  of  Roman  inva- 
sion, 343  ;  fences — penalties  for  trespass — wheat  exported 
to  the  Rhine,  344  ;  grange  of  old  Jedworth,  345  ;  at  Eden- 
ham — abbots  great  farmers,  346  ;  turnips,  when  first  sown 
here,  347 ;  horse-hoeing  husbandry — grass  seeds,  348  ;  po- 
tato husbandry — when  marl  used,  349  ;  Church's  oats,  ib.  ; 
culture  of  carrots — tobacco  plant  cultivated,  350 ;  fanners 
introduced,  by  whom,  ib.  ;  threshing  mill  and  barley  mill, 
135  ;  wind  mills — improved  implements  of  husbandry — wain 
and  cart  used  at  an  early  period — wheels  imported — kind  of 
ploughs  used,  352  ;  when  two-horse  plough  introduced. 

Alewentschawis,  iv.  10,  99. 

Alexander  I.,  ii.  6  ;  iii.  267. 

Alexander  II.,  ii.  88,  63,  156,  278,  323,  361  ;  iii.  59,  66,  127, 
134,  171,  195,  202,  203,  220,  265,  279,  300,  311,  341,  352  ; 
iv.  15,  17,  19,  170,  175,  181,  189,  190,  216,  218,  325. 

Alexander  III.,  i.  290  ;  ii.  83,  324,  361  ;  iii.  72,  172,  205,  220, 
293,  316,  341 ;  iv.  19,  55,  90,  218,  219,  266,  303,  320. 

Ancient  appearance  of  the  district,  i.  83  ;  forests,  84 ;  names 
of  places  evincing  its  woody  state,  85  ;  early  grants  show  ex- 
tent of  wood  and  moss,  86  ;  when  wood  principal  fuel,  89  ; 
when  peats  and  moss  began  to  be  used,  ib.  ;  coal,  when  it 
came  into  use,  90  ;  names  of  places  show  the  marshy  condi- 
tion of  part  of  county,  91 ;  moors  and  peatery,  92  ;  animals 
which  roamed  in  the  forests,  93  ;  remains  found  in  mosses,  94. 

Ancrum,  ii.  346  ;  origin  of  name — description  of  town,  347  ;  form 
of  a  triangle,  347  ;  protected  by  a  number  of  towers,  348; 
manse  of  Ancrum — Copeland,  ib.;  cross  of  the  town — town 
said  to  have  contained  twenty  malt-barns,  349  ;  town  and 
lands  belonged  to  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  ib.  ;  erected  into  a  re- 
gality by  James  IV. — Bishop  of  Glasgow  had  a  palace  here, 
ib. ;  where  was  it  situated  ?  350  ;  Mantle  walls,  35 1  ;  Wil- 
liam Bondington,  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  resided  here,  353  ; 
grant  by  Bernard  of  Fairnington  to  the  house  of  Ancrum, 
ib.;  church  of  the  parish,  354;  Livingston  minister  here, 
355  ;  town  burned  by  Dacre  and  by  Evers,  ib. 

Ancrum  Castle,  ii.  356  ;    situation  of  the  manor-— originally  pro- 

2d 


418  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

perty  of  abbey  of  Jedburgh — castle  built  by  Robert  Ker,  ib. ; 
view  from  the  castle,  357  ,"  of  some  trees  in  the  park — where 
Over  Ancrum  stood — strengths  on  the  west  of  castle,  35  w>  ; 
the  property  now  belongs  to  Sir  William  Scott,  359 — vide 
Scotts  of  Ancrum. 
Antiquities,  i.  155. 

Articles  and  Coins  dropt  by  the  Eomans,  258. 

British. — The  people  who  first  inhabited  the  district,  155  ;  was 
Britain  peopled  from  Gaul  ?  testimony  of  Roman  historians 
on  the  subject,  ib.  ;  natural  objects  bear  a  British  or  Gallic 
name,  156  ;  condition  of  people  at  Roman  invasion,  161  ; 
Caractacus,  163;  British  farms  at  that  period,  164  ;  "Cavers," 
what,  165  ;  the  tribes  who  inhabited  the  district  at  Roman 
invasion,  1 66  ;  territory  occupied  by  them,  168  ;  district  of 
Lothian,  where,  69  ;  altars  found  at  Habitancum  help  to 
point  out  territory  occupied  by  early  people,  169  ;  Tweed  the 
Tueda  of  Richard,  ib.  ;  Watling  Street  supposed  to  be  the 
boundary  between  the  Ottadini  and  Gadeni,  170  ;  line  drawn 
by  Chalmers  does  not  apply,  ib.  ;  warlike  spirit  of  the  Bri- 
tons, 184  ;  fight  in  chariots,  185  ;  weapons  of  war,  186. 

Catrail,  by  whom  made,  and  at  what  period,  197  ;  its  charac- 
ter and  course,  200.    * 

Caves  in  the  rocks,  202  ;  habitations  of  the  Caledonian  people, 
203  ;  on  Jed,  204  ;  on  Ale  at  Ancrum,  205  ;  at  Grahamslaw 
on  Cayle,  and  Roxburgh  on  Teviot,  206. 

Drtiidism. — Religion  of  European  Celts,  170  ;  nature  of  wor- 
ship and  by  whom  introduced,  171  ;  where  the  people  wor- 
shipped, 173  ;  custom  of  going  to  hill  tops  on  May-day,  174  ; 
Druidical  remains,  where,  175  ;  large  stones  in  moss  between 
Canonby  and  Castleton  parishes,  ib.  ;  Ninestonerig— tradition 
as  to  Lord  Soulis  being  boiled  in  a  pot  here,  ib.  ;  circle  at  Plen- 
derleith,  1,  77  ;  the  eleven  shearers,  178  ;  Druidical  system 
abolished  by  Romans,  179  ;  form  of  burial  during  this  period, 
ib.  to  182  ;  same  kind    of  remains  in  India,  183,  foot  note. 

Forts. — Situation  of  these  and  form,  186  ;  where  best  specimens 
of  the  forts  are  to  be  seen — in  Liddesdale,  Caerby  hill,  187  ; 
commanding  situation  of  this  hill,  188  ;  description  of  the 
fort,  ib.  ;  Tinnis  Hill,  189  ;  view  from  top  of  this  hill,  190  ; 
on  the  farm  of  Flight,  191 ;  at  Hudhouse  and  Sorbytrees, 
192  ;  on  the  farm  of  Shaws,  Toftholm,  Foulshiels,  Blackburn, 
and  Cocklaw — in  Teviotdale,  Dunian — castle  of  Roxburgh 
supposed  to  have  been  erected  on  Ottadini  fort,  192  ;  closes 
on  Gattonside  hill,  ib.  ;  Blackhill,  193  ;  other  forts'  formed 
by  same  race  of  people,  but  after  Romans  left,  ib.  194,  195  ; 
work  running  from  Rink  by  Cauldshiels  and  Kippielaw  to 
Peelfell — by  whom  made,  196. 

Road  on  the  west — branch  went  off  from  Longtown  to  Liddell 
moat,  and  thence  to  Castleover,  253. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  419 

Roman,  i.  207  ;  reasons  which  made  Romans  invade  Britain, 
207  ;  when  Agricola  entered  this  district,  209  ;  district  called 
Valentia,  212 ;  the  flower  of  British  youth  transported  to 
continent,  213. 
Watling  Street. — Origin  of  the  name,  213  ;  where  it  starts  from, 
and  its  course,  213  ;  at  Risingham — altar  dedicated  to  the 
Gadeni  people — and  other  altars,  214  ;  Bremenium  station, 
description  of,  215;  remains  found  at  this  station,  216; 
Chewgreen  station,  217;  golden  pots,  what — Roman  mile- 
stones, 218  ;  where  the  road  enters  Scotland,  220  ;  its  course 
to  Street  House  at  Bennymoor,  221  ;  camp  of  Agricola — its 
situation  and  extent,  ib.  ;  course  from  Chewgreen  to  Bonged- 
worth,  222  ;  Bongedworth  supposed  to  be  the  Gadanica  sta- 
tion, 223  ;  construction  of  road,  224  ;  from  Bongedworth  to 
the  Trimontium  station  at  Newsted,  225  ;  reasons  for  believ- 
ing the  Eildons  to  be  the  Trimontium,  226  ;  recent  dis- 
coveries, 230 ;  altars  found  at  Newsted,  232  ;  building  dis- 
covered here,  237  ;  description  of  it  by  Mr  John  Smith, 
architect,  Darnick,  238  ;  station  exposed  by  cutting  of  North 
British  Railway,  240  ;  medals  and  coins  found  in  locality, 
241. 
Devil's  Causeway,  251  ;  one  of  the  earliest  Roman  ways,  251  ; 
constructed  like  the  Wheel — by  it  the  army  of  Agricola 
marched  to  the  Forth,  252  ;  second  branch  sent  off  from 
Watling  Street  at  Bremenium  and  joined  this  causeway  at 
Allynham,  ib. 
Wheel  Causeway,  247  ;  supposed  by  some  to  be  a  continuation 

of  Maiden  Way— its  form  and  course,  248. 
Saxon,  263  ;  arrival  of  the  Saxons,  263  ;  Black  Dyke,  Herriot's 
dyke,  and  Catrail  constructed  to  oppose  this  people,  264  ;  the 
first  Saxon  colonists  imposed  names  on  many  places.  267  ; 
said  to  have  erected  the  two  Gedworths  and  old  Melros, 
268  ;  while  language  spoken  in  this  district  and  Merse  Gaelic 
in  other  parts  of  Scotland,  273  ;  Saxons  migrated  from  Eng- 
land, 274 ;  David  I.  settled  many  Saxon  families  in  this 
district,  ib. ;  Saxons  were  pagans,  275  ;  great  followers  of 
the  chase,  ib. ;  coins  of  the  Saxons,  where  found  in  the 
district,  276  ;  district  placed  under  the  superintendence  of 
bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  277. 

Arks,  ii.  309 ;  name  derived  from  ards,  high  on  barony  of 
Edgerston. 

Armstrong,  clan  of,  iv.  231  ;  legend  that  the  name  was  originally 
Fairbairn— chief  of  clan  resided  at  Mangerton  Castle — 
Johnnie  of  Gilknockie  executed  at  Caerlenriggs,  254  ;  John, 
physician,  iv.  359. 

Ashtrees,  long  a  possession  of  a  family  of  Scott,  ii.  323. 

Avenel,  Robert,  iv.  17  ;  his  grants  to  Melrose  Abbey — notice  of 
family,  18 ;  Lady  of,  i.  31. 


420         THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Baggot,  Adam,  ii.  9  ;  one  of  the  sheriffs. 
Baliol,  Henry,  sheriff,  ii.  2. 
Balmer,  Robert,  iv.  365. 
Barnhills  Bed,  i.  23. 

Bedrule,  ii.  323;  ancient  name,  and  by  whom  conferred,  ib.;  Rew- 
castle  granted  by  David  I.  to  monks  of  Jedburgh — the  manor 
passed  into  the  family  of  Cumyn,  324  ;  Rulehalch  granted  to 
Bishop  of  Glasgow  oy  Red  John  Cumyn,  325  ;  the  lands 
granted  by  Robert  I.  to  Sir  James  Douglas,  ib.;  afterwards 
in  possession  of  Turnbulls — vide  Turnbull. 
Beirhope,  iii.  318  ;  ancient  possession  of  Anslem  of  Whitton — 
part  of  territory  of  Hownam. 

Bell,  James,  iv.  365. 

Belses,  ii.  368  ;  belonged  to  the  abbey  of  Jedburgh. 

Beltein,  i.  173. 

Bennets  of  Chesters,  ii.  366  ;  Adam  Bennet  of  Wester  Grange — 
Raguel  Bennet  of  Chesters — Rawflat  and  Tronyhill,  ib.  ; 
Robert  Bennet,  his  son,  a  remarkable  man,  367  ;  stern  Presby- 
terian, and  often  fined,  ib.  ;  attended  conventicle  at  Selkirk 
common,  and  outlawed — sentenced  to  be  imprisoned  in  Bass 
for  harbouring  John  Welsh,  ib. ;  suffered  imprisonment  for 
eleven  months,  368  ;  of  Marlefield,  suffered  for  conscience 
sake,  iii.  338  ;  Sir  William  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Ram- 
say and  Thomson — Sir  William  thought  to  be  the  Patie  of 
"The  Gentle  Shepherd." 

Bernard  of  Hauden,  iii.  201 ;  the  first  settler  was  Bernard,  the 
son  of  Brian,  an  Anglo-Norman — on  getting  grant  of  Hauden, 
assumed  it  as  his  surname,  202  ;  Bernards  were  witnesses  to 
many  charters  of  early  kings — one  of  the  Bernards  was  sheriff 
of  Roxburghshire — possessed  lands  in  the  beginning  of  17th 
century. 

Blackhill,  i.  24. 

Blainslie,  iv.  100  ;  its  name — originally  three  towns  here — feuars 
of — one  of  oldest  granges,  101  ;  Blainslie  oats. 

Blakelaw,  iii.  225  ;  originally  a  part  of  barony  of  Linton — it  now 
belongs  to  Robert  Oliver— Thomas  Pringle,  the  author  of 
"The  Excursion,"  born  here. 

Boggleburn,  iv.  64  ;  Rhymer's  prophecy,  65 ;  Eildun  tree. 

BoUside,  iv.  112  ;  church  of — town— ferry  on  Tweed. 

Bonchesterhill,  i.  50  ;  camps  on. 

Bourjo,  iv.  48  ;  its  situation— description  of,  49  ;  the  views  of 
previous  writers  examined  as  to  it,  ib. ;  what  is  it  ? 

Bowden,  barony  of,  iv.  142  ;  its  name — granted  by  David  I.  to 
abbey  of  Selkirk,  143  ;  town  of,  144  ;  principal  place  of  bar- 
ony— monks  had  granges — cultivation  thereof — husbandmen, 
145  ;  rents  of  cottages — common  pasture — brewhouses — mills 
— number  of  families  under  abbot,  1 46 ;  charter  of  Robert, 
Earl  of  Roxburgh,  ib.;  Eastfield  and  moor  divided  by  Sheriff, 
149;  form  of  houses,  150;  cross — church  of  Bowden,  151. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  421 

Branxkolm,  iv.  293  ;  part  of  barony  of  Hawick — castle  of,  294. 

Bridgend  of  Darnick,  iv.  73 ;  description  of  bridge— Runrig 
lands,  74. 

Briery  Yards,  iv.  323. 

Brigantes,  i.  210. 

Broadwoodshiel,  iv.  102. 

Brown,  James,  iv.  366. 

Broundoun,  296  ;  barony  of,  297 ;  belonged  to  a  family  of  Has- 
well ;  part  of  the  present  barony  of  Edgerston,  302. 

Buchan,  John,  M.D.,  Ancrum,  iv.  359. 

Bucholm,  iv.  103;  ancient  possession  of  a  family  of  Pringles, 
1 04  ;  town  of,  ib. 

Buchtrig,  hi.  318;  seems  to  have  been  included  in  the  district  of 
St  Mary's,  Hownam — "  moat,"  error  as  to. 

Burnard,  owner  of  Fairnington  as  early  as  twelfth  century,  iii. 
170  ;  from  Burnard  the  family  of  Burnets  in  Scotland  are 
descended ;  held  lands  of  Fairnington  till  fifteenth  century, 
172. 

Burvanes,  iii.  318  ;  part  of  Hownam. 

Bush,  ii.  S23. 

Cadysley,  iv.  7. 

Caldshiels  hill,  iv.  1 56  ;  loch  of 

Camptomi,  ii.  305  ;  obtained  name  from  camp  on  promontory 
between  Jed  and  Edgerstone  burn,  ib.;  situation  of  parish, 
306  ;  size  of  the  strength,  ib. 

Capehope,  iii.  310;  thought  to  have  been  the  abode  of  Rob  the 
.    Ranter,  345. 

Carterhill,  ii.  314  ;  etymology  of  name,  315. 

Caracalla,  i.  211. 

Caractacus,  i.  163. 

Carre  of  Cavers,  iv.  163  ;  vide  Ker  of  Cavers. 

Castleton,  iv.  235  ;  strong  fort  here. 

Castles  of  Roxburghshire. 

Roxburgh,  ii.  11,54  ;  situation  56 ;  scenery,  59  ;  description  of 
the  ruins,  61  ;  a  royal  residence,  81  ;  Malcolm,  son  of  Mac- 
beth, imprisoned  here,  82  ;  Wimond,  a  monk,  ib.;  castle  sur- 
rendered to  Henry  II.,  ib.;  Harold,  Earl  of  Caithness, confined 
here,  where  he  died,  83  ;  Bishops  of  Salisbury  and  Rochester 
took  refuge  here,  ib.;  a  number  of  knights  made  here  by  Alex- 
ander II. — King  Alexander  II.  married  in  castle — a  son 
born  when  here,  ib.;    Alexander  III.   and  his  Queen  here, 

84  ;  visited  by  English  King — Scottish  army  assembled  here, 

85  ;  William  de  Soulis  governor,  ib.;  Baliol  obtained  posses- 
sion of  castle,  ib.;  Edward  I.  kept  feast  of  Pentecost  here, 

86  ;  castle  delivered  to  Walter  Tonk-  -Wallace  attacked 
the  castle, — English  king  here,  ib.;  castle  taken  by  Sir 
James  Douglas,  87  ;  fortifications  destroyed — Adam  Ruff, 
governor — castle  delivered  to  Edward  III.  by  Baliol,  ib.; 


422  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

fortifications  repaired,  and  castle  victualled,  88  ;  the  Earl  of 
Derby  kept  Christmas  here, — castle  taken  by  Sir  Alex- 
ander Ramsay,  ib.;  castle  entrusted  to  Richard  Tempest,  89  ; 
Matthew  Redman  warden,  90  ;  overseers  appointed  of  its 
walls,  &c,  ib.;  Sir  John  Stanley  appointed  to  charge  of  castle, 
91  ;  castle  victualled  by  Henry  TV. — besieged  by  the  Earl  of 
Douglas,  92  ;  James  I.  laid  siege  to  it— besieged  by 
James  II.,  ib.;  king  killed,  93  ;  castle  taken — James  IV. 
granted  castlestead  to  Walter  Ker  of  Cessford,  ib.;  Protector 
Somerset  at  castle,  94  ;  he  appointed  Ralph  Bulwer  gover- 
nor ;  James  VI.  granted  castlestead  to  Robert  Ker,  95. 

Jedburgh  Castle  ;  existed  in  the  eleventh  century,  ii.  1 55  ;  David 
I.  resided  here, — Earl  Henry  also,  ib.;  kings  who  resided 
in  the  castle,  155-6  ;  Alexander  III.  had  a  son  born  here, 
156  ;  Robert  Bruce  dated  charter  here,  ib.;  castle  delivered 
by  William  of  Scotland,  157  ;  it  was  restored  158  ;  Alexan- 
der III.  lay  sick  in  castle,  ib. ;  castle  ordered  to  be  victualled, 
159  ;  Edward  I.  committed  castle  to  the  keeping  of  Laurence 
Seymour,  159  ;  it  was  in  charge  of  bishop  of  Carlisle — Sir 
W.  Ruthven  governor,  ib.;  Edward  at  Jedburgh,  1 60;  itformed 
part  of  the  grant  by  Bruce  to  Sir  James  Douglas,  ib.; 
castle  recovered  by  William  Douglas — again  lost,  ib.; 
Edward  III.  granted  to  Henry  de  Percy,  161  ;  castle  raised 
to  the  foundation,  J  62. 

Hermitage. — Etymology  of  name,  iv.  225  ;  situation,  ib.;  who 
built  castle,  226  ;  Nicolas  de  Sules  owner  of  the  territory. 
ib.;  architecture  and  strength,  227  ;  Edward  I.  bestowed 
castle  on  John  Wake,  ib.;  William  de  Douglas  got  castle 
from  David  II.,  228;  the  Earl  of  Douglas  got  a  grant  of  it,  ib.; 
Earl  of  Angus  deprived  of  it — conferred  on  Both  well,  ib.;  castle 
in  keeping  of  Maxwell,  ib.  231  ;  Scott  of  Buccleuch  now 
owner,  225. 

Cessford,  iv.  333  ;  origin  of  name,  ib.;  its  situation,  335  ;  must 
have  been  strong — description  of  the  building,  ib.;  be- 
sieged by  Surrey,  by  whom  it  was  destroyed,  336  ;  Covenan- 
ters imprisoned  here,  ib.;  was  dwelling  of  Ker,  337  ;  aeh 
trees  within  walls,  ib.;  crow  ash,  a  remarkable,  foot  note,  ib. 

Femiehirst. — Its  situation,  252  ;  age  of  the  structure,  ib.;  Sur- 
rey's account  of  it,  ib.;  scenery  around  the  castle,  253  ; 
taken  by  Surrey,  ib.;  it  was  re- taken  by  the  owner,  aided  by 
French,  254  ;  cruelty  of  the  Scots  to  the  English  garrison, 
255  ;  the  Earl  of  Northumberland  and  leaders  of  English  in- 
surgents found  shelter  here,  256  ;  destroyed  by  the  Earl  of 
Sussex,  256  vide — Roxburgh,  Hermitage,  Cessford,  Femie- 
hirst and  Home. 

Home,  iii.  128  ;  etymology  of  name  ;  situation,  ib.;  described 
by  Paton,  ib.;  how  long  held  by  Homes,  130  ;  taken  by 
regent  Albany,   131  ;    re-taken  by  the  Homes,  ib.;  castle 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  423 

taken  by  Protector  Somerset,  131  ;  taken  by  Colonel  Fen- 
wick,  132  ;  William  Wastle,  133. 

Cambeston,  iv.  182. 

Catlee,  ii.  345. 

Catrail,  iv.  134  ;  description  of  135  ;  who  entitled  to  the  honour 
of  the  discovery  of,  136  ;  Gordon's  account  of  it,  137  ;  Dr 
Douglas  and  Maitland's  opinions  of  it — Whittaker's  and  Chal- 
mers', 139  ;  thought  to  be  continuation  of  Maiden  Way,  140  ; 
remarks  thereon. 

Caver,  Thomas,  ii.  10  ;  one  of*  sheriffs. 

Caverton,  hi.  340 ;  name  derived  from  the  Cambro- British — 
belonged  to  church  of  Glasgow — afterwards  to  family  of 
Sules — Ranulph  de  Sules  got  from  David  I.  the  barony  of 
Nisbet  and  Liddisdale,  341 ;  forfeited  by  Sules — granted  to 
Robert  Stewart,  342  ;  the  English  king  gifted  it  to  De  Cowrcy 
— town  of  importance,  but  now  a  few  farm  houses — chapel. 

Cavers,  iv.  ]  62,  originally  part  of  barony  of  Bowden — extent  of 
the  barony,  163  ;  owned  by  a  family  of  Carres — notice 
thereof — large  firs  in  grounds,  166. 

Cavers,  barony  of,  iv.  324 ;  its  situation — what  the  barony  com- 
prehended, 325  ;  Csulf  an  early  proprietor — his  grant  to 
the  abbey  of  Melrose,  326  ;  barony  bestowed  on  the  good 
Sir  James  Dousrlas,  327  ;  descendants  of  Douglas  still  own 
barony,  328  ;  Stobs  part  of  old  barony— Castle  of  barony, 
where  did  it  stand  ?  330  ;  town  of — destroyed  by  Hertford — 
Denholm  also  part  of  barony — church  of— examination  of 
opinions  as  to  Great  Cavers  and  Little  Cavers,  331  ;  chapel 
dedicated  to  St  Cuthbert,  332  ;  stood  on  banks  of  Slitrig — 
place  where  body  of  saint  rested  for  a  time,  336  ;  miracles 
worked  at  this  chapel,  337  ;  chapel  of  Carlenriggs,  339  ; 
hospital  of  barony,  340  ;  hills  in  barony,  341. 

Caves  in  the  rocks,  i.  202  ;  abodes  of  the  British  people,  203. 

Cessford  barony,  iii.  333  ;  name  derived  from  its  situation  on  the 
lake  formed  by  Cayle — Roger  de  Mowbray  one  of  the  earliest 
proprietors — included  in  Eckford  territory — a  family  of  Oli- 
phant  possessed  barony,  333 ;  barony  passed  to  the  Kers, 
with  the  descendants  of  whom  it  still  remains — vide  Cessford 
Castle. 

Chatthou,  iii.  316  ;  Adam  and  Johnde  Chatthou  witness  charters 
of  William  the  Lion. 

Cherrytrees,  iii.  262  ;  property  of  Adam  B.  Boyd — its  situation- 
formed  at  one  time  part  of  barony  of  Lochtour — George 
Rutherford  possessed  it— afterwards  family  of  Tait — son 
murdered  on  green  of — it  afterwards  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Kers,  263  ;  part  of  it  granted  to  Wauchope  of  Niddrie — 
estate  greatly  improved — tower  destroyed  by  Earl  Surrey, 
264  ;  Thirlstone  included  in  it—  vide  Thirlstone. 

Chewgreen,  the  ad  fines  of  itinerary,  i.  217  ;  form  of  station  here 
219. 


424  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Chesters  of  Grange,  ii.  366  ;  long  the  property  of  the  Bennets 
— from  the  family  of  Bennet  it  passed  to  a  family  of  Ogilvie, 
308 — vide  Bennet. 

Chieldhelles  Chapel,  iv.  101. 

Christianity  introduced  by  Romans,  262. 

Chevy  Chase,  battle  of — not  battle  of  Otterburn — grounds  for  this 
opinion,  ii.  237-47. 

Charter  House,  iii.  150. 

Cistvaens,  i.  179. 

Cleethaugh,  an  ancient  possession  of  the  Ainslies,  ii.  323  ;  tradi- 
tion fixes  this  place  as  site  of  battle  between  Richmond  and 
Douglas,  ib. 

Clints,  iv.  245. 

Clifton,  iii.  301,  once  an  important  place— bounds  of,  302. 

Clarelaw,  iv.  167. 

Clark,  John,  iv.  366. 

Climate  of  district,  i.  16. 

Cocklaw,  iii.  282  ;  a  powerful  castle  on  springs  of  Bowmont — 
besieged  by  Henry  Percy,  283  ;  obliged  to  raise  the  siege — 
garrison  kept  here  to  support  the  warden. 

Coins,  i.  259  ;  Roman,  Saxon,  277. 

Colrust,  iii,  284. 

Colpinhopes,  iii.  231  ;  property  of  monks  of  Kelso ;  granted  by 
Walter  Corbett. 

Colville,  iii.  351  ;  the  family  of  Colville  possessed  the  baronies  of 
Heton  and  Oxnam. 

Copshaw  Tower,  iv.  237,  residence  of  the  famous  Johnnie  Elliot, 
258. 

Corbet  House,  iii.  307  ;  named  after  its  early  proprietor  Corbet- 
one  of  the  oldest  surnames  in  Scotland — town  destroyed  by 
Hertford,  308— vide  Corbet. 

Corbet,  family  of,  iii.  142  ;  Robert  Corbet  came  from  Shropshire 
and  settled  in  Teviotdale  under  David  I. — is  a  witness  to 
the  foundation  charter  of  Selkirk — possessor  of  Makerston — 
Walter  married  Alice,  a  daughter  of  Philip  de  Valoines — 
his  only  surviving  daughter  carried  the  vast  estates  to  Pat- 
rick, second  son  of  the  Earl  of  Dunbar — his  two  sons  assumed 
name  of  Corbet,  143  ;  the  last  of  ancient  race  died  in  1249, 
and  buried  in  Melrose  Abbey. 

Corbet,  Walter,  ii.  9  ;  one  of  the  sheriffs. 

Corman,  iv.  28. 

Couplend,  John,  one  of  Edward's  sheriffs,  ii.  14.  t 

Cowbog,  iii.  308. 

Cowdenknowes,  house  of,  i.  61 — vide  Coldingknowes. 

Coroner,  his  duties,  31 — lands  of  coroner  at  Langton — notices  of 
the  coroner,  32— Scott  of  Langton,  ib. 

Crailing,  ii.  370;  origin  of  name —situation  of  town — Gospat- 
rick  the  first  owner,    ib.;  Berengen   de   Engain    possessed 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  425 

part  of  Crailing  ;  long  possessed  by  Lord  Cranstoun — now 
belongs  to  Mr  Paton,  371. 

Crailing  Hall  ;  known  in  early  days  as  the  Other  Crailing  or  Over 
Crailing,  ii.  371  ;  in  days  of  David  I.  Orm,  the  son  of  Elav, 
was  owner,  ib.;  afterwards  possessed  by  John  Scroupe  and 
Adam  Wawayne — the  lands  then  passed  to  the  Homes — 
from  them  to  Ker — mill  of  Crailing  Hall,  372. 

Cranston,  George,  Lord  Corehouse — last  of  the  Edmonstones  of 
Ednam  left  Corehouse  to  him,  iii.  112  ;  her  charge  to  hhn  on 
death- bed,  113. 

Croc,  Robert,  of  Hungerrigge,  iii.  280  ;  lands  granted  to  him  by 
Lady  Eschina  of  Molle — given  in  marriage  with  his  daugh- 
ter Isabel  to  Robert  Polloc — afterwards  granted  by  her  to 
Simon  of  Lindsay  ;  Croc  was  one  of  the  followers  of  Walter 
the  first  Steward. 

Crosses  of  the  district,  i. ;  observations  on,  324  ;  cross  of  Jedburgh, 
327 ;  Ancrum  cross,  328  ;  Bowden  cross,  330 ;  Maxton 
cross,  331  ;  Melrose  cross,  332  ;  St  Mary's  chapel  at  Stow, 
334  ;  Milnholm  cross,  334  ;  Lyliot's  cross,  338  ;  Heap  cross, 
339 ;  Denholm  cross,  344  ;  William's  croce,  341 ;  Tait's  cross, 
342. 

Cumbesley,  iv.  10  ;  etymology  of  name,  92  ;  pasture  ranges — 
regulations  as  to  these,  93  ;  was  possessed  by  family  of 
Cairncross,  94  ;  town  of — chapel  of,  95. 

Cumbesliehill,  iv.  95  ;  thought  to  be  the  Cumbesliecnol  of  charters 
— natural  circles  here. 

Cumyn,  John,  stewartof  Jedburgh,  ii.  2 1 8 ;  family  of  Cumyn,  823-4. 

Cuthbert,  St,  iv.  30 — vide  Mailros. 

Dacres  of  Dacre  Castle,  iv.  121. 

Davidson,  Robert,  Morebattle,  iv.  370. 

Denholm  village,  iv. 

Denholm  Dean,  i.  22. 

Demure,  iv.  5  ;  granted  by  David  i.  to  abbey — its  name,  67  ;  ex- 
tent of  territory,  68  ;  names  of  old  feuars — the  town  of,  (>9  ; 
towers  of,  ib.  ;  Demure  cottage,  71  ;  lands  remained  in 
hands  of  monks  till  the  Reformation,  ib.  ;  turnips  sown  here, 
when — mound  near  Darnick — bridge  at  Cobbleshaugh,  72; 
old  road  over  Bowden  moor — vide  Bridgend,  Abbotsford. 

Devil's  Causey,  i.  218,  251. 

Dickson,  James,  iii.  12,  16,  113,  builder  of  Havannah  House. 

Dickson,  Sir  David,  iv.  367. 

Dingleton,  iv.  47  ;  its  name,  territory. 

District,  treated  of,  i.  9  ;  southmost  division  of  Scotland — 
boundaries  and  form,  9  ;  line  of  march,  10,  1 1  ;  its  length  and 
breadth,  12  ;  its  declination,  13  ;  general  appearance  of  the 
district  from  summit  of  Dunoon,  14  ;  hill  lies  in  tract  of  old 
red  sandstone,  15  ;  the  climate  of  district,  17. 


426         THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES  OF 

Dolphinston,  ii.  290  ;  its  situation,  291  ;  belonged  originally  to 
the  family  of  Gospatrick — named  after  his  son  Dolphin,  ib.  ; 
afterwards  belonged  to  a  family  of  Ainslie — fortalice  destroyed 
by  the  Earl  of  Northampton,  292  ;  rebuilt  by  the  Scots,  ib.  ; 
Edward  III.  commanded  fort  to  be  destroyed,  ib.  ;  sixty  men 
stationed  here — lands  acquired  by  Mark  Ker  by  marriage 
with  the  heiress  of  Ainslie,  293. 

Douglas,  Lyntale,  ii.  222 ;  origin  of  the  name,  227  ;  Theobald, 
a  Fleming,  progenitor  of  the  family,  229  ;  William  de  Dug- 
las,  230 ;  the  good  Sir  James  Douglas— expelled  English 
from  Teviotdale,  233  ;  Bruce  erected  all  his  lands  into  a  free 
regality,  ib. ;  what  did  this  grant  include,  234  ;  fell  at 
Theba — Hugh,  his  brother,  succeeded — William  Douglas, 
nephew  of  Hugh,  was  leader  of  the  men  of  Teviotdale — Wil- 
liam Douglas  expelled  English  from  Teviotdale,  285  ;  He 
slew  the  Knight  of  Liddesdale,  ib.  ;  seized  the  castle  of  Her- 
mitage— created  first  Earl  of  Douglas,  236  ;  buried  in  Abbey 
of  Melrose,  237  ;  James  Douglas  fell  on  field  of  Otterburn — 
battle  of  Otterburn,  239  ;  Archibald  the  Grim,  247  ;  second 
son  Archibald  commanded  at  the  battle  of  Homeldon,  248  ; 
his  daughter  was  the  Fair  Maid  of  Galloway,  249  ;  power  of 
the  Douglas  at  this  time,  ib.  ;  two  sons  beheaded — William 
Douglas  stabbed  in  Stirling  Castle,  250  ;  James,  his  brother, 
last  of  race  of  Black  Douglas — lands  conferred  on  Earl  of 
Angus,  first  of  red  race — duke's  title  became  extinct  in 
176 1  ;  the  Duke  of  Hamilton  got  the  title — the  last  heir- male 
of  the  race  is  dead — Douglas  cause — vide  foot  note,  25 1 . 

Douglas  of  Cavers,  iv.  327  ;  heritable  sheriffs  of  Teviotdale— 
vide  Cavers 

Douglas,  Sir  George,  of  Springwood,  iii.  184. 

Douglas,  Sir  William,  sheriff,  ii.  14. 

Douglas,  Gavin,  Bishop  of  Dunkeld,  i.  53. 

Druidism,  i.  170  ;  prevailing  religion  of  Celts  of  Europe — pro- 
hibited by  Claudius,  172. 

Drygrange,  iv.  85  ;  its  situation — belonged  to  monks — David 
Lithgow,  86  ;  lands  now  possessed  by  Thomas  Tod— mansion- 
house. 

Duncan,  Mark,  iv.  367. 

Dykerawe,  ii.  315;  town  of,  ib.;  protected  by  tower — the  owner 
defended  tower  against  Sir  John  Batcliff'e  till  smoked  out,  ib. 

Eckford,  iii.  32' )  ;  name  derived  from  ford — extent  of  the  terri- 
tory, 321  ;  first  name  seen  in  connexion  with  it  is  Geoffrey — 
the  family  of  Mowbray  appears  as  owners  of  the  whole  terri- 
tory, but  lost  it  for  conspiring  against  Robert  I. — manor 
granted  to  Walter  the  Steward — Robert  II.  granted  the 
barony  to  Scott  of  Kirkurd,  322  ;  Moss  House  or  Tower 
principal  messuage — cast  down  by  Dacre — destroyed  in  an 
inroad  of  1544 — next  year  destroyed  by  Hertford,  323 — by 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  427 

Sussex — tower  of  consequence  during  Border  wars — the 
church  of  Eckford — an  iron  collar  or  jug  suspended  from  wall 
of  church— Eckford  Brae,  near  church,  was  notable  for  tent- 
preaching,  324  ;  Boston  used  to  officiate  here — farm  of  Moss 
Tower  celebrated  for  growing  oats. 

Eldrida,  St,  iii.  232  ;  where  is  the  chapel  of  the  Virgin  ? 

Edgar,  King,  i.  247 

Edgarstoun,  ii.  296  ;  seat  of  the  family  of  Kutherfurd— situation 
of  the  town — extent  of  the  barony,  ib.;  derivation  of  the 
name,  ib.;  this  place  thought  by  some  writers  to  be  the  scene 
of  the  battle  between  Dalreods  and  Northumbrians,  297  ;  this 
manor  granted  by  James  IV.  to  James  Butherfurd  of  that 
ilk,  ib.;  he  was  ancestor  of  Butherfurds  of  Hun  thill  and 
Hundole,  ib.;  Ker  of  Cessford  bound  himself  to  take  and 
keep  the  castle  of  Edgarsione,  299  ;  he  failed  in  getting  pos- 
session of  it,  300  ;  the  black  laird  of  Edgerstone  was  present 
at  the  Redswyre,  ib.;  his  nine  sons  fought  at  his  back,  ib. 

Edmonston,  Bobert,  iv.  367. 

Edmonstone,  Andrew,  of  that  ilk,  iii.  112. 

Ednam,  iii.  i  07  ;  its  name — in  Edgar's  charter  it  is  described  as  a 
desert,  108  ;  Thorlongus,  the  first  settler  on  the  waste,  ib.  ; 
Coombs,  109  ;  King  David  I.  had  a  large  mill  here — church 
of  Edenam  dedicated  to  St  Cuthbert— Bobert  I.  granted 
barony  to  his  daughter  Margery,  iii.  ;  family  of  Edmon- 
stone possessed  lands  for  long  period,  113  ;  passed  to  Bamsay 
Cuthbert— property  of  Lord  Ward— ashes  of  the  last  Edmon- 
. stones  lie  in  Ednam  graveyard,  112;  brewery  here,  ib.; 
built  by  James  Dickson,  ib.  ;  remarkable  wych  elm  in 
brewery  garden — Ednam  birth-place  of  Captain  Cook,  ib.  ; 
114  ;  was  Thomson,  the  poet  of  the  Seasons,  born  here  %  114, 
monument  to  him,  115  ;  William  Dawson  born  in  the  manor, 
ib. ;  village  burned  by  Henry  Eure,  116  ;  protected  by 
bastile  house,  ib. 

Eildon,  grange  of,  iv.  63  ;  situation  of  grange — granted  by  David 
I.  to  abbey  of  Melrose — it  is  now  owned  by  Duke  of  Buc- 
cleueh,  64  ;  Boggleburn  part  of  grange— Eildon  tree,  65. 

Eildon  Hills,  iv.  51 ;  boundary  betwixt  houses  of  Melros  and  Kelso, 
52  ;  camp  on  eastern  hill,  53  ;  description  of  camp,  54  ; 
not  a  Boman  camp,  ib.;  camp  supposed  to  have  been  formed 
in  761  ;  view  from  summit  of  eastern  hill,  56 — vide  hills  of 
the  district. 

Elliots,  clan,  iv.  230  ;  first  settlement  here — where  did  they  origin- 
ally belong  to,  23 1  ;  the  chief  of  the  clan  resided  at  Lariston, 
233  ;  notice  of  fort  of— Bobert  Elliot  is  ancestor  of  all  bor- 
der Elliots— tradition  as  to  curse  affecting  this  family,  234. 

Elliotston,  iv.  230  ;  thought  to  be  first  settlement  of  Elliots. 

Elliot,  Sim,  the  traitor,  iv.  233. 

Elliot,  Sir  Gilbert  of  Minto,  iv.  358. 


428  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Elliston,  part  of  barony  of  Lessudden,  iv.  1  82  ;  ancient  possession 
of  Yliss. 

Elsi,  iv.  5  ;  progenitor  of  the  Thirlstane  family— his  son  Allan 
assumed  the  name  of  Thirlstone — vide  Mautelent,  and  Lauder- 
dale, Earl  of. 

Eminent  men  of  county,  iv.  345  ;  Turnbull,  William  of  Bedrule — 
Cairncross,  Alexander  of  Cumbesley — Eutherfurd,  John,  Jed- 
burgh ;  Eutherfurd,  Samuel,  Nisbet ;  Thomson,  James,  Ed- 
nam  ;  Elliot,  Sir  Gilbert  of  Minto  ;  John  Armstrong,  New 
Castleton  ;  Buchan,  John,  of  Ancrum  ;  William  Turnbull, 
Hawick  ;  John  Leyden,  Denholm  ;  Thomas  Somerville,  Jed- 
burgh ;  Eobert  Balmer,  Ormiston  Mains  ;  James  Bell,  Jed- 
burgh ;  James  Brown,  Kelso ;  John  Clerk,  Eoxburgh  ;  Sir 
David  Dickson,  Bedrule  ;  Mark  Duncan,  MaxpofSe  ;  Eobert 
Edmonston,  Kelso  ;  Eobert  Hall,  Haugh-head  ;  Eobert  Eic- 
calton,  Venchon  ;  James  Telfor,  Saughtree ;  Eobert  David- 
son, Morbattle  ;  John  Younger,  Longnewton. 

Fairnington,  hi.  170  ;  originally  property  of  the  Burnards  ; 
Eichard  Burnard  granted  to  the  monies  of  Melros  thirteen  acres 
of  land  in  barony,  ]  71 ;  gave  the  monks  right  to  part  of 
peatery — John  Burnard  owner  of  the  manor,  172;  Eobert 
II.  claimed  whole  barony — lands  conferred  on  Bothwell — lands 
and  hospital  belonged  to  Buccleuch — the  lands  passed  into 
hands  of  Eutherfurds — George  Eutherfurd  slew  his  brother- 
in-law,  Halyburton  of  Muirhouselaw,  173  ;  Bloody  Will,  ib.; 
lands  passed  to  Eutherfurds  of  Edgarstone — Baron  Euth- 
erfurd, by  whom  barony  greatly  improved,  174;  first  who 
planted  potatoes  in  fields — mansion-house,  176  ;  Dunlaw,  on 
which  ruins  of  observatory — stone  column,  177  ;  this  thought 
to  be  the  scene  of  battle  of  Lillardsedge  —  Harlaw,  site  of 
circle  of  large  stones — traces  of  an  old  ditch — vide  Chapel  or 
Hospital,  and  Eutherfurd  of  Fairnington. 

Fallside,  ii.  31 0 ;  once  a  place  of  importance — consisted  of  two 
towns,  311;  destroyed  by  Sir  John  Batcliffe  after  Flodden, 
ib.;  this  place  occupied  by  families  of  Oliver  and  White  above 
200  years,  ib. 

Faudon,  iv.  155  ;  description  of. 

Fauhope,  iv.  86  ;  situation — ancient  property  of  the  Lindsays, 
87  ;  notice  of  Lindsays — granted  by  William  Lindsay  to  the 
convent,  87. 

Fauside,  iii.  225  ;  Eobert  Bruce  granted  lands  to  William  of 
Fauside. 

Felton,  William  de,  sheriff  of  Northumberland  and  Eoxburgh, 
ii.  12. 

Ferniehirst,  ii.  252  ;  mansion  of  the  Kers — age  of  mansion— situa- 
tion and  scenery,  253  ;  this  place  chief  residence  of  the  family 
till  obtained  honours  of  nobility,  257  ;  legend  of  Ferniehirst, 
ib.—vide  Castle  of  Ferniehirst. 

Flemings  migrated  here,  i.  274. 

Fleming,  Sir  David,  sheriff  of  shire,  assassinated,  i.  1 8. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  429 

Fleurs,  iii.  87  ;  palace  of  Duke  of  Roxburgh — its  situation — 
earliest  notice  of  house,  ib.  ;  place  where  King  James  was 
killed,  88  ;  Fair  Cross  village,  ib.  ;  woods  around  Fleurs, 
89— vide  Family  of  Ker  of  Cessford  and  Koxburgh. 

Fulton,  ii.  340  ;  its  ruined  peel  is  still  standing. 

Gadeni  tribe,  i.  1H5  ;  land  of,  167. 

Gala — see  rivers  of  district. 

Galashiels,  barony  of,  iv.  110  ;  etymology  of  name — situation 
and  extent  of  barony — old  town  of  Galashiels,  111  ;  form  of 
the  parish  church,  originally  where?  112;  Bolside — waulk 
mills,  113  ;  new  town  of  Galashiels,  114  ;  feuing  out  of 
lands,  ib. ;  introduction  of  machinery  into  town,  115  ;  Cloth- 
hall,  116  ;  mills  built,  117  ;  turn  over  of  money  in  a  year, 
.119  ;  amount  of  wool  used — woollen  factories  in  town,  120  ; 
streets  of  town  and  public  buildings,  121;  government  of 
town,  122  ;  armorial  bearings  of  town  and  legend  thereof — 
manor  of  Galashiels,  123  ;  lands  part  of  Forest — after  battle 
of  Flodden  property  of  Queen  Margaret,  i  24  ;  passed  to 
family  of  Hoppringle  of  Whitsome,  124  ;  origin  of  the 
name  Pringle,  foot  note — James  Scott  became  owner,  126  ; 
Gala  House — its  situation — description  of,  128  ;  camp  in 
grounds,  129  ;  wood  in  policy — rebel  army  here,  130 ; 
"  Aidd  Doucie,"  anecdotes  of — Robert  Timmerman,  131; 
Habby  Sprot,  tradition  as  to,  133  ;   Rink  Hill,  camp  on,  134. 

Galtuneshalch,  iv.  9 — vide  Gattonside,  Galtonside. 

Gateshaw,  iii.  306  ;  of  old  possession  of  abbey— farmed  by  Ker — 
lineage  as  given  by  Burke  not  correct,  307  ;  Covenanters 
worshipped  on  Gateshaw  Brae — centenary  of  the  Secession 
celebrated  here  in  1839. 

Gattonside,  Galtuneside,  iv.  78 ;  etymology  of  name — town  and 
lands  of — charter  of  Douglas  to  feuars,  79  ;  lands  divided 
by  sheriff,  80  ;  was  there  a  chapel  here  ? — West  Houses  part 
of  grange — miracle  worked  at  Gattonside,  85. 

Geoffrey  of  Lempitlaw,  chamberlain  to  William  the  Lion,  iii.  205. 

Geoffrey  de  Moubray,  one  of  the  sheriffs,  ii.  1 2. 

Geology,  i.  96  ;  geological  divisions  of  Scotland,  ib. ;  character- 
istic formations  of  the  transition  series,  97  ;  superficial  aspect 
of  the  county,  98 ;  stratified  rocks,  99  ;  greywacke,  ib.  ; 
clay  slate,  101 ;  direction  of  dip,  102  ;  minerals  which  occur 
in  these  strata,  103  ;  formation  poor  in  organic  remains,  104  ; 
pebbles  in  Teviot,  ib.  ;  rock  much  used  for  road  metal — objec- 
tions to  its  use  for  building,  105  ;  the  conglomerate  deposit, 
106  ;  where  seen,  107  ;  old  red  sandstone,  108  ;  fissures  in 
this  formation,  110  ;  junction  of  old  red  sandstone  with  sub- 
jacent rock  at  Jedburgh,  ib.  ;  colouring  matter  of  formation, 
what,  111 ;  quarries  in  the  upper  series  of  strata,  112  ;  organic 
remains,  animal  and  vegetable,  115;  animal — pterichthys  or 


430          THE   HISTORY  AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

winged  fish,  116;  occurs  in  sandstone  of  Ferniehirst,  117; 
pterichthys  major,  ib. ;  holoptchius,  118 ;  localities  where 
found,  120  ;  remains  of  vegetables,  123  ;  where  found,  124  ; 
coal  cannot  be  expected  to  be  found  in  the  district,  1 27  ;  the 
upper  beds  of  this  formed  the  principal  building  stone  in  the 
central  districts  of  Roxburghshire,  128  ;  where  limestone 
occurs,  129  ;  jaspers  of  Robert's  Linn,  i  35  ;  igneous  rocks, 
136  ;  porphyries,  137  ;  where  seen  and  best  studied,  ib.  ;  the 
Eildons,  138 ;  what  they  consist  of,  139 ;  quarry  above 
Bowden,  ib. ;  masses  of  porphry  in  the  Wisp  Hill,  ib.  and 
140  ;  trap- tufa,  ib. ;  where  found,  141 ;  hills  formed  by 
trap,  142;  clinkstone  at  Timpendean,  143;  belt  of  green- 
stone enters  county  at  Hindhope,  ib.  ;  geological  phenomenon 
of  great  interest,  144  ;  where  transition  strata  exposed,  145  ; 
when  the  eruption  of  augitic  took  place,  146 ;  alluvial 
accumulations,  148  ;  where  these  deposits  occur,  149  ;  arena- 
ceous deposits  or  kaims,  149,  150  ;  boulders,  150-1  ;  natural 
terraces,  151  ;  gypsum,  where  found,  152  ;  spherical  concre- 
tions or  fairy  stones,  ib.  and  153  ;  concluding  observations. 

Gipsies,  iii.  241. 

Gladstones,  family  of,  iii.  283  ;  owners  of  Cocklawon  Bowmont — 
vide  Cocklaw. 

Golden  Pots,  i.  217- 

Goranberry  tower,  iv.  241 ;  a  tower  of  the  Elliots — legend  of,  242. 

Gordon,  an  Anglo-Norman  settler,  iii.  124  ;  his  sons  Richard  and 
Adam  possessed  Stitchel,  as  part  of  barony  of  Gordon — Sir 
Adam  Gordon  supported  Wallace,  and  his  son  fought  with 
Bruce,  1 26 ;  warden  of  the  marches,  ib.;  Robert  I.  granted 
to  him  estates  of  Athol — he  fell  at  the  battle  of  Halydon-hill 
— he  left  to  his  son  William  the  barony  of  Stitchel — Robert, 
the  Stewart  of  Scotland,  made  him  keeper  of  forest  of  Glen- 
kins,  126 ;  Lord  Robert  Gordon  of  Lochinvar  was  the  last 
owner  of  Stitchel — lands  passed  to  Pringles. 

Gospatrick,  first  sheriff  of  Roxburghshire,  ii.  7 ;  notices  of  the 
family,  iv.  2,  foot  notes. 

Goudielands,  iv.  292  ;  its  situation— built  by  Scott  of  Buccleuch 
—form  of  castle,  293. 

Graden,  iii.  223  ;  part  of  barony  of  Linton — David  Ker  held  the 
lands  under  Ker  of  Cessford — Henry  Ker  was  one  of  the 
Justices  for  suppressing  conventicles,  224  ;  he  apprehended 
Archibald  Riddell,  Turnbull  of  Knowe,  and  Laird  of  Doun — 
way  in  which  Kers  acquired  property,  ib. 

Graemslaw,  iii.  325  ;  formerly  included  in  barony  of  Eckford — 
etymology  of  name  doubtful — tumuli  abound  in  the  locality, 
326  ;  caves  in  the  rocks — hospital  here — spoiled  by  Surrey 
and  Hertford. 

Greenlaw,  John,  governor  of  Cocklaw  Castle,  iii.  283. 

Greenlees,  iii.  225. 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  431 

Greenha',  iv.  241 ;  residence  of  Sims  Thorns. 

Grubet,  iii.  303  ;  etymology  doubtful — it  was  the  property  of 
Uchtred — De  Vesois  over-lords — Robert  I.  granted  lands  to 
Archibald  Douglas,  304  ;  family  of  Bennet  once  owners — 
passed  to  Nisbets  of  Dirleton — now  property  of  Marquis 
of  Tweedale,  305  ;  broom  on  banks  of  Cayle. 

Hadden,  iii.  201  ;  manor  granted  by  William  the  Lion  to  Ber- 
nard, an  Anglo-Norman,  ib.;  assumed  Hauden  as  his  sur- 
name, 200  ;  Edward  III.  gave  the  lands  to  Peter  Tempest — 
Bernards  faithful  to  Scotland — they  regained  the  manor — 
lands  now  the  property  of  Sir  William  Elliot,  203  ;  monks 
had  a  ploughgate  of  land  in  the  manor — leave  was  given  to 
Bernard  to  have  private  chapel  at  Hauden— town  situated 
on  Hadden  rig,  20 4— vide  Bernard. 

Haddenstack,  iii.  204  ;  place  where  commissioners  met  to  settle 
disputes. 

Hages  of  Bemerside,  iv.  91  ;  notice  of. 

Halidene,  iv.  152  ;  granted  by  David  I.  to  Kelso — early  posses- 
sion of  Kers,  153  ;  tower  of — great  deer  park  of,  154. 

Halyburtons,  iii.  270  ;  owner  of  part  of  Moll— a  Berwickshire 
family — derived  their  name  from  town — foot  note. 

HaU,  Robert,  iv.  367. 

Hall  of  Haughead,  iii.  336  ;  imprisoned  in  Cessford  Castle  along 
with  a  number  of  Covenanters— monument  erected  to  him,  i. 
343. 

Halterburnhead,  iii.  234  ;  portion  of  the  old  manor  of  Yetholm — 
the  name  is  thought  to  be  a  corruption  of  Edeldrida,  and 
named  from  chapel,  235  ;  foundations  of  houses  in  the  valley 
of  the  mountains. 

Harden,  iv.  304  ;  residence  of  Wat  of  Harden. 

Hartsgarth  tower,  iv.  243. 

Harwood,  iv.  297  ;  originally  part  of  barony  of  Hawick. 

Hassendean,  iv.  320  ;  its  name — extent  of  barony,  321. 

Hauden  de  Bernard,  ii.  9  ;  he  was  one  of  the  early  sheriffs. 

Haughead,  iii.  327  ;  anciently  included  in  Eckford — it  belonged 
to  Robert  Hall,  called  Hobbie  Hall,  remarkable  for  piety 
and  bodily  strength — mansion-house  still  in  existence — tra- 
dition that  his  children  were  baptized  under  an  ash  tree  near 
it — son  Henry  of  undaunted  courage — he  commanded  at 
Drumclog  and  Bothwell  Bridge — description  of  banner — 
escaped  to  Holland— on  his  return  apprehended  with  Car- 
gill — killed  by  a  blow  on  the  head,  32» ;  four  years  after  his 
death,  he  was  tried,  and  goods  forfeited—  near  this  is  the 
place  where  one  of  the  two  great  conventicles  held,  330  ; 
Richard  Cameron  was  licensed  to  preach  here,  33 1  ;  Priest's 
Crown  in  neighbourhood,  ib.;  remains  found  on  opening  a 
little  law  here,  332—  vide  Jeddart  justice. 

Hawick,  regality  of,  iv.  265  ;  first  name  seen  in  connection  with 


432  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES  OF 

territory  is  Lovel — notices  of  the  family,  266  ;  passed  into 

hands  of  Baliol,  267  ;  afterwards  to  Murray  of  Strathearn 

came  into  hands  of  Douglas — now  in  the  family  of  Scott, 
270. 

Hawick,  burgh  of,  iv.  271  ;  its  situation — when  was  Hawick 
created  a  burgh — charter  of  Mary,  273  ;  terms  of — govern- 
ment of  town,  277  ;  common  of,  279  ;  streets  of  burgh,  281  ; 
buildings,  282;  tower  of — ancient  cross,  where  it  stood,  283  ; 
manufactures,  284  ;  notices  of — riding  the  marches,  289  ; 
had  Hawick  a  slogan,  291  ;  farmer's  club,  ib.;  archaeological 
society,  ib.;  old  church  of  Hawick,  298. 

Henderside,  iii.  116;  situation  of  estate — greater  portion  com- 
prehended in  barony  of  Ednam,  ib. ;  when  house  erected,  and 
by  whom,  ib. ;  contains  library  of  18,000  volumes — valuable 
collection  of  pahitings,  117  ;  estate  acquired  by  Ormstounes 
of  Kelso,  and  went  by  marriage  to  Mr  Waldie,  Berryhill, 
ib. — vide  Waldie,  John. 

Henwood,  i.  44  ;  old  place  of  rendezvous. 

Hermitage  church,  i.  64. 

Herriot's  dyke,  i.  199. 

Heton  or  Heitoune,  iii.  350  ;  its  name  descriptive  of  its  site — 
Alan  de  Perci,  the  younger,  got  lands  from  Earl  David — 
Alan  granted  lands  in  Heton  to  Monks  of  Whitby — at  Alan's 
death  succeeded  by  his  brother  Geoffrey — both  having  died 
without  issue,  nephew  succeeded,  351 ;  lands  acquired  by 
Colvilles — Colville  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I. — the  Kers 
afterwards  possessed  the  barony,  354 ;  part  of  barony  pos- 
sessed by  Ker  of  Sunlaws,  and  another  part  by  Sir  George 
Douglas— a  number  of  persons  bore  the  name  of  Heton  as  a 
surname,  ib. 

Hills,  i.  18 ;  Cheviot  range,  where  it  begins  and  ends,  18  ;  Cheviot 
Hill,  its  situation  and  height,  18,  19  ;Chillhill,Hounamlaw— 
Carter  Tinnis,  Millenwood  Fell,  and  Tudhopehill,  1 9 ;  Greatmoor 
Hill — Maiden-paps,  Leapsteel — Fanna  Hill —  Winberg,  Wisp, 
20 ;  Dunian,  21 ;  Penielhaugh — monument  on  its  top,  22 ; 
Ruberslaw,  22;  Minto  Craigs— Minto  Hills,  23;  the  Ed- 
dons — Blackhill  and  Bemerside,  24  ;  Williamlaw,  25  ;  Skelf- 
hill  Pen — Pencrestpen — Pencrest  and  Burgh  Hills — Carby 
Hill— Hermitage  Hills,  26. 

Hillslap,  tower  of,  iv.  95. 

Hillton,  part  of  barony  of  Lessudden,  iv.  184. 

Hindhaughhead,  town  and  peel  of,  ii.  311 ;  destroyed  by  Sir 
John  RatclifFe  after  Flodden — part  of  its  ruined  walls  still 
exist,  ib. 

Home  or  Hume,  iii.  128  ;  etymology  of  name,  ib.;  manor  part  of 
territory  of  family  of  Dunbar,  ib.;  Patrick,  younger  son  of 
the  fourth  Gospatrick,  first  of  Greenlaw— manor  a  marriage- 


433 


gift  with  Ada,  129  ;  William  of  Greenlaw  assumed  surname 
of  Home,  ib.;  church  of  Home  dedicated  to  St  Nicholas — 
Ada  gave  her  land  and  buildings  called  Pulles  on  Eden  to 
church — disputes  between  Home  and  monastery  of  Kelso — 
gift  to  monks  of  Kelso,  130  ;  parish  of  Home  joined  to  Stit- 
chell — vide  Castle  of  Home. 

Homes  of  Colding  Knowes ;  disputes  with  Melros,  iv.  91. 

Hopekirk,  ii.  340 ;  name  and  situation — belonged  to  the  Abbey 
of  Jedburgh — conference  at  Nisbet  in  regard  to  this  church,  ib. 

Horsleyhill,  iv.  322. 

Hoselaw,  iii.  224. 

Hospitals  of  the  district,  ii.  76,  108,  356  ;  iv.  192,  340. 

Husbandland,  what,  iv.  144. 

Howard,  Lord,  iv.  221. 

Howpasley,  iv.  295  ;  old  possession  of  Scotts. 

Howey,  a  native  of  Kelso,  i.  69. 

Hunam  or  Hownam,  iii.  309  ;  name  derived  from  Owen  or  Ow,  a 
follower  of  Earl  Henry — it  appears  first  in  the  possession  of 
Orm — grant  to  monks  of  Melros — bounds  of  grant—  church 
of  Hownam,  313;  town  suffered  from  English  inroads — the 
locality  once  populous — tradition  of  the  seven  shearers,  315 — 
vide  Orm. 

Hundole,  ii.  274 ;  situation  of  this  place,  ib.;  name  thought  to 
have  been  derived  from  dogs  kept  here  for  chase  and  war,  ib.; 
was  a  seat  of  the  ancient  family  of  Rutherfurd,  284  ;  Mary, 
the  heiress,  married  Sir  James  Ker  of  Crailing,  284—  vide 
Rutherfurds  of  Hundole. 

Hungerrigge,  iii.  280;  property  of  Robert  Croc — carried  by  his 
daughter  Isabel  to  Robert  Polloc — afterwards  to  Simon 
Lindsay — Adam  of  Hetun,  281. 

Hunthill,  ii.  284 — vide  Scraesburgh. 

Huntlaw,  iv.  323  ;  part  of  barony  of  Paisley. 

Huntly  Burn,  where  Thomas  Rimer  met  Eairy  Queen,  i.  29. 

Jedburgh,  town  of,  ii.  97  ;  etymology  of  name,  ib.  ;  situation, 
97-8  ;  form  of  town,  99  ;  streets  of  the  town,  100  ;  High 
Street  and  Castlegate,  101 ;  Canongate,  103  ;  Burnwynd  and 
Friarsgate,  107  ;  Queen  Street,  109  ;  Abbey  Place,  ib.  ;  Rich- 
mond, 110;  Bongate,  111  ;  churches,  113  ;  schools,  113-14; 
libraries,  115  ;  friendly  societies,  117  ;  trade,  119  ;  trades  of 
burgh  always  ready  for  war,  1 22  ;  weapons,  123;  Surrey's 
opinion  of  men  of  Jedburgh,  ib.  ;  manufactures,  124  ;  mills, 
128  ;  markets  of  the  burgh,  130  ;  gardens,  134  ;  government 
of  burgh,  136  ;  corporation  swore  fealty  to  Edward  I. — what 
the  corporation  consisted  of,  ib.  ;  collection  of  customs  ap- 
pointed by  Henry  IV — Robert  I.  granted  charter  to  the  town, 
137  ;  Mary's  charter,  138  ;  sett  of  burgh,  141  ;  extent  of 
jurisdiction  of  magistrates,  143 ;  powers  and  privileges 
of    burgh,    147;    arms    of  burgh,    what,    i  53 ;     annals   of 

2e 


434  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

burgh — burgh  existed  at  the  beginning  of  ninth  century,  155  ; 
David  I.  and  his  son  Henry  lived  here — Malcolm  died 
here,  ib.  ;  town  residence  of  Queen  Mary,  156  ;  held  her 
courts  here,  ib. ;  was  town  fortified  ?  157;  strength  of  the 
burgh  staffis,  157  ;  trades  present  at  the  battle  of  Bannock- 
burn,  160  ;  took  a  flag  there,  ib. ;  James  IV.  here  at  the 
justice  ayre  with  an  army,  163  ;  clan  Turnbull  apprehended, 
164  ;  Bishop  Lesley's  account  thereof — state  of  the  town  and 
borders  after  Flodden,  ib. ;  town  assaulted  by  Surrey,  166  ; 
obstinately  defended,  1 67  ;  a  number  of  English  horses  killed 
by  falling  over  scaur,  ib. ;  letter  of  Surrey  to  his  master, 
168  ;  James  V.  made  a  progress  to  Jedburgh,  169  ;  the  pro- 
vost sat  in  Parliament— king  at  Jedburgh  with  an  army  to  put 
down  the  Border  feuds — town  taken  by  Sir  Ralph  Evers,  ib.  ; 
by  Evers  and  Laiton — Hertford  burned  the  town,  170  ; 
governor  and  queen  lived  here— Pan ter  created  Bishop  of 
Ross  while  court  remained  here,  171  ;  honour  of  knighthood 
conferred  on  certain  Border  chiefs,  ib.  ;  Lord  James  held  a 
criminal  court  here,  and  hanged  many,  173  ;  Mary  held  a 
justice  ayre,  174  ;  her  visit  to  Hermitage,  ib.  ;  seized  with 
fever  in  Jedburgh,  176  ;  Darnley  visited  her  here,  ib.  ;  house 
in  which  she  resided,  177  ;  Murray  again  at  Rood  Day  Fair 
— John  Knox  at  Jedburgh  to  try  Paul  Methven,  minister  of 
burgh,  ib.  ;  his  punishment,  178  ;  Sussex  and  Foster  at  Jed- 
burgh, 179  ;  a  pursuivant  whipt  by  provost  at  cross,  ib.  ;  the 
Earls  of  Angus  and  Mar  and  others  at  Jedburgh,  181  ;  riot 
on  Rood  Day,  183  ;  sivascher,  what,  189  ;  the  Pretender  here, 
210  ;  house  in  which  he  lived,  ib. ;  meeting  as  to  Reform 
Bill,  211 ;  Sir  Walter  Scott  present-  property  of  Jedburgh, 
214;  families  of  the  burgh,  216;  names  of  the  principal 
inhabitants,  218  ; 

Jed  worth,  Old,  ii,  293  ;  its  situation — thought  to  be  one  of  towns 
built  by  Bishop  Ecgred,  ib.  ;  remains  of  the  little  chapel  here, 
294  ;  traces  of  building  and  graveyard,  295 ;  Hellsheugh, 
meaning  of  name,  296. 

Jeddart  justice,  iii.  328  ;  origin  of  this  reproachful  phrase,  foot 
note  329,  el  sub. 

Juridical,  or  mote  hills,  iii.  165  ;  fine  specimen  opposite  to  Mak- 
erston- on- Tweed — description  of,  165-6  ;  Hawick  mote,  i. 
1 82,  iv.  284 ;  Maccus,  mote  hill  of — is  within  grounds  of 
Pinnacle  Hill— description  of  it,  iii.  188. 

Jury  trial — oldest  form  of  trial,  ii.  30.  » 

Kareswell,  one  of  the  sheriffs,  ii.  14;  he  was  the  husband  of 
Countess  of  Mar. 

Kelso,  town  of,  iii.  6  ;  etymology  of  name— Chalkheugh,  7  ;  its 
situation,  8  ;  remarkable  for  scenes  of  beauty,  9  ;  form  and 
extent  of  town,  10  ;  the  hall,  11  ;  Market  Square,  12  ;  Bridge 
Street,  13  ;    street  built  on  burying- ground   of  abbey,  14 ; 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  435 

Charles  Ormston  was  owner  of  part  of  street — he  was  a 
quaker,  and  married  a  catholic  lady — his  sister  was  the 
quakeress  who  granted  the  boy  Walter  Scott  the  use  of  her 
library,  15  ;  Queen's  Head  Inn,  ib. ;  the  Havannah  or  Ednain 
House,  16  ;  the  Abbey  Close  formerly  one  of  the  principal 
approaches  to  the  town,  17  ;  parish  church— prophecy  of 
Thomas  the  Rhymer,  18  ;  tolbooth  thought  to  be  the  prison 
to  which  Bluegown  was  consigned,  18  ;  the  Knowes  or  Butts 
Cottage  occupied  by  the  aunt  of  Scott — the  mill  of  Kelso,  19  ; 
tradition  as  to  the  Cauld  being  made  by  the  wizard  Michael 
Scott,  20  ;  Cuckhold's  Lane,  mill  at,  21  ;  Roxburgh  Street — 
consisted  of  four  divisions,  ib.  ;  origin  of  name  of  Horseshoe, 
22  ;  the  approaches  to  the  town,  23  ;  ferry-boats,  24  ;  old 
bridge,  ib.  ;  bridge  of  Roxburgh,  25  ;  where  was  this  bridge  ? 
26  ;  town  the  property  of  monks,  29  ;  included  in  the  barony 
of  Holydean — town  erected  into  a  free  burgh  of  barony,  ib. ; 
sett  of  town,  30  ;  trades  of  town,  ib. ;  regulations  made  by 
Patrick  Don  Baillie,  31  ;  brotherhood  of  Whipmen — their 
customs,  33  ;  market  and  trade  of  town,  35  ;  literature-— 
Chalkheugh  library.  37  ;  contains  MS.  copy  of  Spottiswoode's 
History  of  the  Charch  of  Scotland,  ib.  ;  other  libraries-  - 
Physical  and  Antiquarian  Society,  38  ;  newspapers,  ib.  ;  the 
schools  of  the  town,  39  ;  races,  40  ;  the  manor  of  Kelso,  ib.  ; 
property  of  King  David  I. — when  granted  to  abbey,  41  ;  the 
exact  boundaries  of  land  not  known,  ib.  ;  Easter  Kelso  in 
hands  of  monks — Wester  Kelso — cross  of  wester  town,  42  ; 
Lord  Dacre  pillaged  and  burnt  the  town,  76  ;  Queen  Mary 
here  with  her  court,  78  ;  bond  to  resist  the  rebels  of  Liddes- 
dale  signed  here,  79  ;  the  Earls  of  Angus  and  Mar,  the  master 
of  Glammis,  and  others,  here,  82  ;  inhabitants  assisted  Both- 
well,  ib.  ;  town  nearly  consumed  by  an  accidental  fire,  83  ; 
persons  who  granted  aid  to  the  sufferers,  ib. ;  Montrose  here 
before  battle  of  Philliphaugh,  84 ;  Scottish  rebels  here  in 
1715,  85  ;  court  of  oyer  and  terminer  sat  here,  86 ;  Prince 
Charles  at  Kelso,  ib.  ;  persons  who  bore  the  surname  of 
Kelso,  87. 
Ker  of  Cessford  and  Roxburghe,  iii.  90  ;  John  Ker  of  Selkirk 
Forest,  ib. ;  grandson  Robert  of  Auldtonburn — Andrew 
Ker  obtained  charter  from  Earl  Douglas  of  Cessford,  91  ; 
charter  granted  by  Lord  James  Hamilton  to  Walter  Ker  of 
baronies  of  Auld  Roxburgh  and  Cessford,  ib. ;  Andrew  Ker 
slain  at  Melrose,  92  ;  feud  between  Kerrs  and  Scotts — agree- 
ment between  the  families,  93  ;  James  VI.  granted  the  lands 
to  William  Ker,  with  remainder  in  succession  to  his  heirs, 

97  ;  his  son  was  first  Earl  of  Roxburghe,  98  ;  Robert  one  of 
the  most  noted  sheriffs  on  Borders— he  was  depute- warden, 

98  ;  he  slew  Sir  William  Ker  of  Ancrum,  ib. ;  he  fought  a 
duel  with  Bothwell — Sir  Robert  Carey's  opinion  of  Ker,  99  ; 


436  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

lodged  with  Carey — created  Earl  of  Roxburghe—  he  was 
made  Baron  Ker  of  Cessford,  101  ;  married  daughter  of  Lord 
Drummond — obtained  power  to  institute  a  new  series  of  heirs, 
ib.  ;  nomination,  102  ;  at  his  death  Sir  William  Drummond 
succeeded,  103  ;  fined  £6000  by  Cromwell,  ib.  ;  his  brother 
John  succeeded  to  the  earldom — deed  of  entail  executed  by 
Duke  William,  104  ;  at  his  death  titles  and  estates  claimed 
by  Walter  Ker  of  Littledean  and  Sir  James  Norcliff  Innes, 
ib.  ;  decided  in  favour  of  Innes — notice  of  house  of  Innes, 
105  ;  ancestor  a  Fleming,  106. 

Ker  of  Fernieherst. — When  name  first  seen  on  the  borders,  ii. 
252  ;  vassals  of  the  Douglas — Thomas  Ker  distinguished  in 
border  wars,  261  ;  built  castle  of  Fernieherst — Andrew,  his 
son,  was  called  Dand  Ker— he  assaulted  the  abbey  of  Kelso, 
and  turned  superior  out  of  doors,  262  ;  he  was  imprisoned 
with  the  Homes,  ib.;  disputed  with  the  Earl  of  Angus,  264  ; 
he  was  imprisoned  by  the  king — he  commanded  the  attack 
on  Wark  Castle — he  was  present  at  battle  of  Melrose — ac- 
quired the  barony  of  Oxnam  by  his  mother — got  a  grant  of 
bailiery  of  Jed  forest,  ib. ;  John  Ker  married  daughter  of 
Ker  of  Cessford,  265  ;  he  was  knighted  by  the  governor  at 
Jedburgh,  ib.  ;  had  a  share  in  slaughter  of  Sir  Walter  Scott 
of  Branxholm — was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English,  266  ;  Sir 
Thomas,  his  heir,  was  a  great  royalist  and  friend  of  Queen 
Mary — he  was  present  at  the  attack  on  Earl  of  Lennox— he 
was  father  of  the  Earl  of  Somerset,  267  ;  he  died  in  ward — 
notice  of  Somerset,  foot  note  ;  Sir  Andrew  acquired  the  Nis- 
bets,  268  ;  was  denounced  rebel  for  intercommuniug  with 
Bothwell,  ib.;  he  was  provost  of  the  burgh  of  Jedburgh — 
riot  on  the  Rood  Day  took  place  while  he  was  provost,  269  ; 
raised  to  the  peerage — Sir  James  Ker  of  CraUing,  his  half 
brother,  succeeded,  271  ;  made  an  entail  of  his  estates  in 
favour  of  Lord  Newbattle — in  William  the  peerages  of 
Lothian,  Ancrum,  and  Jedburgh  were  vested — he  was 
one  of  those  who  went  to  Breda,  to  invite  Charles  II.  to 
Scotland — Robert,  his  son,  married  Jean  Campbell,  daughter 
of  Archibald,  Duke  of  Argyle,  272  ;  William,  the  fourth 
Marquis,  commanded  cavalry  at  Culloden — the  burial-place 
of  family  is  in  Jedburgh  Abbey. 

Ker  of  Cavers,  ii.  261  ;  Ralph  Ker  of  Fernieherst  ancestor  of 
Cavers,  ib.;  Thomas  killed  at  Jedburgh,  iv.  164 — vide  Carre 
of  Cavers.  * 

Ker  of  Littledean,  iv.  194  ;  descendant  of  Ker  of  Cessford — vide 
Littledean. 

Ker  of  Greenhead  descended  from  Fernieherst  family,  ii.  260. 

Ker,  Sir  James,  of  Crailing,  one  of  the  sons  of  Sir  Thomas  Ker  of 
Fernieherst,  ii.  266  ;  his  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Scott  of 
Buccleuch,  ib. 


437 

Ker  of  Sunlaws,  iii.  161 — vide  Sunlaws. 

Ker,  Henry,  sheriff  of  Roxburghshire,  ii.  14. 

Kid's,  Helen,  curse,  iv.  234. 

Kilsyke,  ii.  322  ;  the  only  remains  of  this  town  is  the  ruins  of  its 
keep — camp  near  to  it,  ib. 

Kirklands,  ii.  366  ;  seat  of  John  Richardson. 

Kippilaw,  iv.  166  ;  part  of  barony  of  Bowden. 

Landales,  John  de,  iv.  5. 

Langlee,  iv.  83  ;  estate  belonged  to  monks  of  Melros — granted  by 
James  V.  to  James  Hoppringle. 

Langlee,  Wester,  iv.  106. 

Langshaw,  iv.  96  ;  etymology  of  the  name— ruins  of  old  mansion 
— barony  now  belongs  to  Earl  of  Haddington,  97  ;  school 
here,  98. 

Lauderdale,  Earl  of,  iv.  5  ;  notice  of  the  family. 

Lempetlaw,  iii.  204;  barony  granted  by  David  I.  to  Richard  Ger- 
myn —  Richard  granted  church  to  the  Holy  Trinity  of  Soltre, 
205  ;  Wellflat,  in  the  territory,  belonged  to  Sir  Adam  Quin- 
ton,  ib.;  lands  passed  into  the  family  of  Buccleuch — barony 
originally  separate  parish,  now  united  to  Sprouston — grave- 
yard still  used — extent  of  village,  206. 

Lessudden,  iv.  172  ;  etymology  of  name-  formed  part  of  regality 
of  Melros,  174  ;  grants  to  monks,  and  by  whom,  175  ;  kirk- 
lands, 177;  place  of,  ib.;  schoolhouse,  179  ;  St  Boswell's  fair, 
180  ;  fishings  in  Tweed— church  of  St  Boswells,  181. 

Ley  den,  John,  Denholm,  iv.  361. 

Liddisdale,  iv.  213  ;  etymology  of  name — boundaries  of  territory 
— notices  of  the  state  of  border  counties  in  early  times,  214  , 
desolation  of,  215  ;  Ranulph  de  Sules,  earliest  name  seen  in 
connection  with,  217  ;  his  grants  to  abbey  of  Jedburgh — 
notices  of  the  family,  218  ;  Hermitage  Castle,  220  ;  district 
granted  by  Edward  I.  to  John  de  Wake — Sir  W.  Douglas 
called  Lord  of  Lydale,  220  ;  lands  passed  into  hands  of  Both- 
well,  222  ;  afterwards  to  family  of  Scott,  223  ;  Monmouth, 
225  ;  clans  of,  230  ;  notices  of  clans  and  towers,  232-3  ;  New 
castleton,  245 ;  situation  of  town— description  of  it,  248  ;  cul- 
tivation of  the  valley,  249  ;  eagle  and  crane  shot  here,  ib.; 
roads,  250  ;  inhabitants  all  freebooters,  251  ;  state  of  borders 
in  tune  of  James  V.,  252  ;  Johnnie  Armstrong  executed, 
253  ;  refuge  of  clans  where,  256  ;  Carey's  raid,  257  ;  bond  to 
put  down  theft,  258  ;  part  of  Cromwell's  army  here,  260  ; 
rebel  army  stayed  a  night  in  valley,  261  ;  notices  of  army. 
262  ;  threatened  invasion,  263. 

Lilliesleaf,  iv.  199  ;  earliest  form  of  name — barony  belonged  to 
Bishop  of  Glasgow,  200;  church  ^of,  201  ;  town  of,  210  : 
school— commonlands  divided — conventicles  held  here,  211 — 
vide  Rid  dell,  &c. 

Lindisfarne,  bishoprick  of.  ii.  2. 


438  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Lindsay.  Simon,  iii.  280  ;  two  brothers  Lindsay  came  from  Essex 
while  David  was  prince — held  the  lands  of  Earlston,  281  ;  iv. 
87. 
Langbaugh,  iv.  104  ;  family  of  Darlings  long  possessed  this  place. 
LinthilL  iv.  209  ;  its  situation. 

Linton,  iii.  206  ;  etymology  of  name — William  Sumerville  pro- 
prietor in  early  times,  207  ;  error  of  Chalmers  as  to  this— 
this  William,  first  of  Linton,  209  ;  tradition  as  to  the  way  he 
obtained  barony,  210  ;  exploit  perpetuated  on  stone  above 
door  of  church,  214  ;  inscription  thereon,  215  ;  place  where 
worm  lay,  216;  moss  of  Linton,  217;  remains  of  beaver 
found  in  loch,  foot  note  ;  Sumervilles  retained  barony  till  the 
middle  of  sixteenth  century,  222  ;  Ker  of  Littledean  got  a 
grant  of  barony — lands  passed  to  the  Pringles — Robert  Elliot 
is  now  owner,  223  ;  mansion— old  town  formerly  of  great  ex- 
tent, 226  ;  only  remains  of  it  are  the  church  and  mill — tradi- 
tion fixes  site  of  baronial  cross — tower  stood  near  to  the  church 
—  destroyed  by  the  English  warden — next  year  by  Surrey — 
again  destroyed  by  Hertford — traces  of  church  at  an  early 
period — "  Queir  "  burying-place  of  Sumervilles,  227  ;  Roger 
Sumerville  died  in  tower — situation  of  the  present  church — 
tradition  as  to  little  hill  on  which  church  stands — front  of 
church,  foot  note  ;  great  improvements  in  this  barony,  229. 
Littledean,    iv.    194  ;   its   situation — belonged  to   Brigadier  Sir 

Walter  Ker — tradition  as  to,  195. 
Lochs,  i.  28  ;  Cauldsheils,  29  ;  Hoselaw,  Linton,  Primside,  28. 
Locbend,  i.  91. 

Lochside,  iii.  261  ;  property  of  Robert  Oliver,  308. 
Lochtower,  iii.  259  ;  supposed  to  be  the  Avenel  Castle  of  the  ''Mon- 
astery," 260  ;  property  of  Kers — Earl  of  Surrey  raised  the 
tower,  264. 
Lurdenlaw,  iii.  206  ;  tower  stood  here. 
Lustrother  town,  ii.  315  ;  origin  of  name — burned  by  Sir  John 

Ratcliffe — town  protected  by  tower,  ib. 
Lyntalee,  ii.  222  ;  its  etymology,  224  ;  situation,  225  ;  Sir  James 
Douglas  built  house  here — was  attacked  in  his  stronghold  by 
Sir  Robert  Neville  and  Cailou,  226  ;  the  Earl  of  Arundel 
next  attempted  to  take  the  strength,  and  was  defeated — Earl 
of  Richmond  led  a  large  army  against  it,  and  was  slain  by 
Douglas,  ib.  ;  camps  all  around,  227. 
Macchuswel  Herbert,  sheriff  of  Roxburgh,  ii.   8  ;  John  also  a 

sheiifF. 
Maiden  Way,  i.  247. 
Maiiihor.se,  included  in  territory  of  Caverton,  iii.  345  ;  belonged 

to  a  family  of  Chatto — lands  now  belong  to  Mr  Nisbet. 
Makerston,  iii.    140  ;   situation  of  barony — of  old  belonged  to 
Mac-car — situation  of  castle — cast  down  by  Hertford — re- 
built on  old  foundation,  141 — trees  in  park— name  conferred 


439 

by  the  first  settler  Mac- car,  142  ;  the  earliest  proprietor  on 
record  is  Walter  Corbet— he  gave  to  monks  of  Kelso  church 
of  Makerston — leave  granted  by  monks  to  Christian  Corbet 
and  husband  to  worship  in  their  own  chapel,  J  43  ;  Nicholas 
Corbet  granted  to  the  monks  the  fisheries  in  the  Tweed  from 
Dalcove  to  Brocksmouth,  144;  Archibald  M  'Dow ell  got 
grant  of  lands  from  Robert  III. — disputes  with  monks  of 
Kelso,  145  ;  the  laird  of  Makerston  great  improver  of  land — 
charter  granted  to  Henry  Macdougal  of  lands  of  Makerston, 
148  ;  barony  carried  into  family  of  Hay,  149  ;  afterwards  by 
marriage  to  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane,  ib.;  camp  in  neighbour- 
hood, 150  ;  charter-house  within  barony,  which  see. 

Mangerton,  iv.  249  ;  residence  of  chief  of  Armstrongs. 

Marcidin,  ii.  4 ;  ancient  name  of  Roxburgh  Castle. 

Marlfield,  iii.  337  ;  was  included  in  territory  of  Eckford— its  an- 
cient name  was  Mow-Maynes — property  of  William  Bennet, 
rector  of  Ancrum — it  is  thought  that  the  scene  of  "  Gentle 
Shepherd"  is  on  this  estate,  338  ;  Habbie's  Howe  is  near  the 
mansion — Symon's  house  and  Symon's  field,  339 ;  in  grounds 
magnificent  lime  trees — vide  family  of  Bennet. 

Mautelant,  iv.  5  ;  first  of  Lauderdale  family. 

Maximus,  i  213. 

Maxpoffle,  iv.  183 ;  gave  surname  to  Adam  of  Maxpoffle — Knights 
Templars  had  lands  in  territory,  184. 

Max  ton,  territory  of,  iv.  186  ;  its  name — belonged  originally  to 
Maccus — passed  to  the  Berkeleys,  187;  afterwards  to  Nor- 
man villes — grants  to  Melros,  188  ;  Sules  possessed  barony, 
190  ;  Muirhouselaw  and  Rutherfurd — vide  church  of  Max- 
ton,  196  ;  town  of,  197  ;  improvements  in  territory,  198. 

Maxwellheugh,  iii.  178  ;  territory  appears  in  days  of  David  I. — 
property  of  Maccus— built  town,  church,  and  mill,  and  called 
it  Maccuswell,  179  ;  situation  of  barony — John  Maxwell  got 
grant  of  barony — John  Lord  Maxwell  got  grant  of  the  bar- 
ony and  Caerlavrock,  181  ;  the  lands  in  possession  of  Ker  of 
Greenhead,  183;  estate  of  Bridgend  purchased  by  James 
Douglas — he  was  captain  of  the  ship  A  hide—  the  mansion  of 
Bridgend  stood  in  Haugh,  185  ;  destroyed  by  Hertford — 
house  burned — where  mill  stood — new  mansion  built  by  the 
family  of  Douglas— name  changed  to  Springwood  Park — site 
of  mansion  beautiful,  186  ;  number  of  fine  elm  trees  in  the 
grounds — remarkable  poplar  tree — village  of  Maxwellhaugh, 
187  ;  Earl  of  Morton  had  a  house  here — supposed  to  be  the 
chief  town  of  the  barony — Softlaw  part  of  barony,  181  ; 
church  of  Maccuswell  was  situated  between  Tweed  and 
Teviot,  189  ;  graveyard  marked  by  clump  of  trees— names 
on  tombstones — where  did  the  oratory  dedicated  to  St 
Thomas  stand?  190  ;  destroyed  by  Hertford—  vide  Douglas 
of  Springwood  Park — Softlaw,  Maison-clieu. 


440  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Melros,  regality  of,  iv.  1  ;  extent  of,  9  ;  when  lands  of  abbey 
erected  into  regality,  15  ;  regality  annexed  to  the  crown,  22  ; 
annals  of  regality,  105. 

Melros,  town  of,  iv.  41  ;  Little  Fordell,  42 ;  description  of  old 
and  new  towns,  43  ;  High  Cross — Prior  Bank,  44  ;  markets 
and  trade  of,  45  ;  literature,  46  ;  schools,  ib.;  institutions. 

Meredykes,  i.  11. 

Mervinslaw,  ii.  309  ;  thought  to  be  the  Zernwingslaw  of  David 
I.— its  situation — commanding  view  from  summit  of  hilL 
310 — vide  Zernwingslaw. 

Mervinslaw  Peel,  on  left  bank  of  Jed. 

Middleham,  part  of  barony  of  Bowden,  iv.  158  ;  extent  of  land  of 
Middleham,  159;  feuars,  160;  burlaws,  what,  101  ;  town 
of — houses  of  defence,  162  ;  mill,  167. 

Milestones,  Eoman— those  erected  in  time  of  Antoninus,  Pius 
Augustus,  and  Claudius— form  of  each,  i.  218. 

Milsholm  Tower,  iv.  243. 

Minto,  iv.  307 ;  etymology  of  name — barony,  extent  of,  309  ;  in 
hands  of  a  family  of  Barber,  310  ;  afterwards  in  two  parts, 
and  possessed  by  Turnbulls  and  Stewarts,  311  ;  when  lands 
came  into  family  of  Elliot,  312  ;  notices  of  family — man- 
sion-house of  Minto,  316  ;  remarkable  trees  on  estate,  3i7; 
old  church  of  Minto,  318  ;  parish  school,  319. 

Minto  Craigs,  i.  23. 

Morbattle,  hi.  290 ;  etymology  of  name — appears  in  "Inquisitio"  of 
David  I. — originally  belong  to  the  family  of  Corbet — lands 
granted  by  Bruce  to  Archibald  Douglas,  291  ;  James  V. 
granted  same  to  Robert  Stewart  and  his  wife — included  at 
one  time  in  barony  of  Minto,  now  part  of  barony  of  Gru- 
bet — town  of  Morbattle — situation  of  church — tradition  as 
to  it,  292 ;  fountain  of  St  Laurence,  294  ;  two  chapels  de- 
pended on  mother  church,  295 ;  dissenting  meeting-house 
here— stood  originally  at  Gateshaw — wife  of  Mr  Morison 
introduced  double-handed  spinning-wheel,  296  ;  town  often 
destroyed  by  English — by  whom. 

Morvilles,  iv.  4  ;  notices  of  the  family — Morville  Hugh,  ib.; 
Richard  Morville,  William  Morville,  Elena  Morville  mar- 
ried Ronald  of  Galloway. 

Mossburnfurd,  i.  94. 

Moss  Houses,  iv.  98  ;  name  describes  its  situation — possessed  by 
feuars  of  name  of  Notman. 

Mount  Teviot,  i.  225  ;  Watling  Street  crossed  Teviot  here. 

Mow  or  Molle,  hi.  265  ;  Cambro- British  people  imposed  the 
name ;  meaning  of  it — bounds  of  territory,  266  ;  belonged 
to  ancient  Northumbria,  267  ;  during  reign  of  Alexander  I. 
Liulf  was  owner — Uctred  his  son — Eschina  de  Londoniis, 
called  Lady  of  Moll,  married  Walter,  first  steward  of  Scot- 
land— Allan,  their  son,  269  ;  Lady  Eschina  married  secondly 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,  ETC.  441 

Simon  Maleverer — at  death  of  daughter  Cecilia,  family 
became  extinct,  270  ;  lands  devolved  on  Gilbert  Avenel — 
afterwards  in  the  hands  of  Sir  John  Hallyburton — passed 
into  Alexander  of  Molle — in  the  keeping  of  John  de  Coup- 
land,  Edward's  sheriff,  271  ;  these  lands  resigned  in  favour 
of  John  Ker — Robert  Mow  resigned  the  town  and  demesne 
lands  into  hands  of  James  IV.  in  favour  of  John  Mow — 
Laird  of  Mow  fell  at  battle  of  Redswyre,  272  ;  Anslem 
of  Whitton  in  possession  of  part  of  territory  in  1165 — at  his 
death  divided  between  his  two  daughters — Anslem's  portion, 
where — monks  of  Kelso  had  possessions  here — boundaries 
of  property  granted  by  Lady  Eschina  to  them,  264  ;  property 
gifted  to  them  by  her  daughter  Cecilia,  275  ;  Anslem's  grant 
to  monks,  277  ;  Richard  of  Lincoln's  gift — peatery  belonging 
to  monks,  278  ;  lands  of  monks  erected  into  free  forest,  279  ; 
their  other  lands  in  territory — Paisley  monks  had  lands  in 
Blacdene — boundaries  thereof,  280  ;  canons  of  Jedburgh  had 
lands  at  one  time  here — Robert  Croc  had  lands  of  Hungerrigge 
— the  family  Lindsay  had  property  here,  281  ;  persons  who 
possessed  other  parts  of  territory,  282  ;  Cocklaw  belonged  at 
one  time  to  the  family  of  Gledstones — Colrust  part  of  terri- 
tory, 284  ;  the  town  of  Molle  was  of  considerable  extent,  and 
protected  by  a  peel,  285  ;  governed  by  a  provost,  279  ; 
church  of  Molle — its  graveyard — belonged  to  the  monks — 
parish  of  Molle  now  joined  to  Morebattle — mills  of  Molle, 
2*7  ;  woods  and  forests  in  territory,  289  ;  territory  suffered 
•  during  Border  wars — Hertford  desolated  the  valley — persons 
who  bore  surname  of  Molle. 

.Muirhouselaw,  iv.  191  ;  belonged  to  convent  of  Melros — possessed 
by  Halyburtons — now  owned  by  John  Ord,  192. 

Mus-rig,  iii.  168. 

Names  of  places  imposed  by  British  people,  i.  156  ;  by  the  Saxons, 
267  ;  on  the  northside  of  TwTeed,  ii.  4. 

Newton-on-Teviot,  ii.  339  ;  part  of  barony  of  Bedrule — town 
protected  by  a  peel,  which  can  still  be  traced,  340. 

Newton-on-Eden,  iii.  118  ;  during  twelfth  century  property  of 
Morvilles — Bruce  conferred  property  on  Douglas,  119  ; 
Nenthorn  part  of  barony — Newton  occasionally  called  Little 
Newton — monks  of  Dryburgh  had  property  here— churches 
of  Newton  and  Nenthorn  belonged  to  Coldingham  monks, 
ib. ;  Newton  belonged  to  the  Edmonstones,  121;  passed 
from  them  to  family  of  Don,  and  now  belongs  to  Balfour,  ib.; 
mansion-house  built  by  Don — its  situation — fine  trees  in 
park,  birch,  122  ;  remarkable  poplar — yew  trees— magnifi- 
cent elms—  remarkable  thorn  trees,  ib.  ;  trap  dyke  in  Eden 
thirty- five  feet  high,  1 23  ;  melancholy  incident  at  Stitchell 
Linn,  ib. — vide  Nenthorn. 


442  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Newtoun-of-Eildon,  iv.  65  ;  situation  of  town — its  extent- -sus- 
pension bridge  over  Tweed  here,  66  ;  its  construction,  67. 

Ninestanerig,  i.  26,  177  ;  place  where  Sules  is  said  to  have  been 
boiled  in  lead. 

Nisbet-on-Teviot,  ii.  369  ;  derivation  of  name— Ranulph  de  Sules 
first  owner — he  granted  a  carrucate  of  land  here  to  abbey  of 
Jedburgh — Robert  Bruce  granted  lands  to  Walter  the  Steward 
— afterwards  became  property  of  Sir  Robert  Erskine — terri- 
tory divided  into  four  parts — possessed  by  Lord  Lothian — in 
church  of  Nisbet  differences  between  the  canons  of  Jedburgh 
and  Bishop  of  Glasgow  settled,  ib. ;  graveyard  still  used — 
Crailing  now  parish  church,  370. 

Neidslaw,  i.  173  ;  derivation  of  its  name,  174. 

Nenthorn,  iii.  118  ;  property  of  Morvilles  belonged  to  monks 
of  Dryburgh,  119;  church  of,  J  20 ;  seisin  of,  121; 
master  of  Roxburgh  owner  of  part  of  lands — Mark  Pringle 
proprietor,  ib.  ;  now  belong  to  family  of  Roy. 

Newstead,  iv.  58  ;  its  situation — Trimontium  station — Watling 
Street  traced  up  to  it — did  the  Romans  pass  the  river  here  ? 
59  ;  Malcholm's  road,  60  ;  ancient  lodge  of  masons  here.  61  ; 
lands  of  Newstead— mass  of  meteoric  iron  found  here,  62  ; 
largest  in  Britain,  63. 

Odard,  sheriff  of  Bamborough ;  he  is  a  witness  to  foundation 
charter  of  Selkirk,  ii.  6. 

Olifard  or  Oliver,  iii.  133  ;  the  first  of  the  name  was  David  de 
Olifard — name,  meaning  of— he  was  justiciar  of  Lothian, 
134  ;  witnesses  many  charters — Walter,  his  son,  acted  as 
justiciary  under  Alexander  II. — he  was  buried  in  Melros 
Abbey,  135. 

Oliver  of  Stryndis,  ii.  319. 

Orm,  family  of,  iii.  309  ;  came  from  Northumberland  in  days  of 
David  I. — Orm,  the  son  of  Eilar,  settled  at  Ormston  on  the 
Teviot — John  Orm  is  thought  to  have  been  owner  of  Over 
Crailling — he  is  the  second  sheriff  of  Roxburghshire,  310 — 
vide  sheriffs  of  the  county — Hob  Ormiston  concerned  in  the 
murder  of  Darnley — confessed  to  Brand,  his  minister,  347. 

Ormston,  iii.  346  ;  dwelling  of  Orm  was  at  Old  Ormston — beauty 
of  scenery — new  mansion  erected  higher  up  the  river — on  the 
death  of  Hob  Ormeston  the  lands  passed  to  the  family  of 
Anstruther,  and  from  them  to  Ker  of  Cessford — William 
Elliot  of  Wells  possessed  the  lands,  afterwards  Thomas  Mein, 
who  built  the  new  mansion,  349  ;  he  erected  a  suspension 
bridge  over  the  Teviot,  350 ;  Ormiston  was  cast  down 
by  Dacre — burned  by  Eurie — town  and  towTer  destroyed  by 
Hertford — lands  are  now  property  of  Marquis  of  Lothian,  ib. 

Ottadeni  tribe,  i.  167-8. 

Otterburn,  iii.  308  ;  battle  of— vide  Chevy  Chase. 

Oxnam,  ii.  240  ;  an  early  possession  of  Alan  de  Perci  and  his 
brother  Geoffrey— after  the  death  of  Geoffrey  the  lands  passed 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  443 

into  the  Homildon  family,  afterwards  to  the  family  of  Ochil- 
tree— it  is  now  property  of  Lord  Lothian,  264. 

Peden's  pulpit,  i.  23. 

Percy,  Henry  de,  sheriff  of  Roxburghshire,  ii.  15;  Thomas  de 
Percy,  1 6 ;  Henry  de  Percy  de  Alnwick,  sheriff  under 
Richard  II. 

Peresby/Hugh,  ii.  10 ;  one  of  the  English  sheriffs  of  Roxburghshire. 

Philogar,  iii.  317  ;  famed  in  early  days  for  its  woods — in  more 
modern  times  for  the  produce  of  its  dairies  — part  of  Chathow. 

Plants,  list  of  indigenous,  iv.  373. 

Ploughgate,  what,  iv.  152  ;  thought  to  be  same  as  Dav-och  in 
Teviotdale,  what. 

Ploughlands,  iv.  195  ;  Maid  of  Lilliards  native  of  this  town,  196. 

Potterlain,  iv.  236. 

Priestfield,  iv.  168  ;  where — boundaries. 

Primside,  iii.  299  ;  granted  by  Earl  Henry  to  one  of  family  of 
Riddell — thought  to  be  first  possession  of  family — now 
belongs  to  the  family  of  Roxburgh,  300  ;  destroyed  by  Hert- 
ford— vide  Riddell. 

Pringle,  iv.  124. 

Priorbank,  iv.  44  ;  its  situation — commands  best  view  of  abbey — 
William  Tait,  owner. 

Puddingburn  Ha',  iv.  239  ;  where  "  Dick  o'  the  Cow  "  stole  back 
his  own  horse  from  Armstrongs. 

Quintin,  Sir  Adam,  iii.  205. 

Rakestonleis,  tower  of  John  of  Copshaw,  iv.  232. 

Ramsay,  Sir  Alexander,  appointed  sheriff,  ii.  13. 

Randolph,  Thomas,  ii.  10  ;  sheriff. 

Redpath,  iv.  88  ;  situation  of  this  grange — by  whom  granted  to 
the  abbey  of  Melros — disputes  with  the  laird  of  Bemer- 
side,  89  ;  curious  notice  as  to  salmon  in  the  river  Tweed,  91. 

Redpath,  George,  minister  of  Stitchell,  iii.  127  ;  wrote  a  history 
of  Borders. 

Redden,  iii.  199  ;  granted  by  David  I.  to  monks  of  Kelso — two 
brew-houses  in  town,  and  nineteen  cottages,  201  ;  a  family  of 
Kene  possessed  lands  at  Reformation,  ib.  ;  Redden  afterwards 
became  property  of  Robert,  Earl  of  Roxburgh —  Ker  of  Green- 
head  possessed  Thankless. 

Reged,  thought  to  be  Jedburgh,  capital  of  Urien,  iv.  2. 

Reginald  of  Yetham,  iii.  265. 

Riccalton,  Robert,  iv.  368. 

Ridel,  Gervase,  sheriff,  ii.  7. 

Riddell,  or  West  Lilliesleaf,  iv.  202  ;  ancient  possession  of  Riddells 
— notices  of  the  family,  203  ;  extent  of  ba,rony,  206  ;  the  De 
Vescis  overlords,  207  ;  mansion-house,  208  ;  remarkable  trees 
in  park,  ib.  ;  large  beech  tree — chapel,  209. 

Riddell,  Archibald,  imprisoned  in  Jedburgh  jail  for  attending 
conventicles,  iv.  204. 


444  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Kiddell,  Sir  John,  iv.  206. 

Rimer,  Thomas  de  Ercildon,  i.  62,  68  ;  witnesses  a  charter  of  one 

of  the  Haigs  of  Bemerside,  ii.  10. 
Ringley  Hall,    iii.    162;    its   situation — etymology  of   name — a 
powerful  fort,   163 ;  description  of  it — tradition  as  to  this 
place,  164. 
Rink  Hill,  iv.  133  ;  camp  on — description  of,  134. 
Rink,  ii.  306  ;  on  Jed. 
Rivers,  i.  29. 

Allan  or  Alwyn,  63  ;  its  source — flows  through  its  own  dale — 
scene  of  the  Glenderg  of  the  "  Monastery,"  64. 

Allan  or  Aloent,  55. 

Ale. — Etymology  of  name,  57  ;  its  rise  and  course — scenery, 
58  ;  fine  troutin^  stream,  ib.  ;  lake  from  which  stream  issues 
— tradition  of,  59. 

Borthwick. — Its  rise,  name,  and  course,  56. 

Bowniont. — Its  rise,  59  ;  ancient  name,  60. 

Cayle,  i.  3*  ;  once  the  feeder  of  a  great  lake,  39  ;  supposed 
course  of  the  Teviot  by  Morebattle,  40  ;  peculiarity  of  the 
channel  of  river  while  passing  Morebattle,  42  ;  scenery  on 
the  river,  43,  44. 

Eden,  60. 

Gala,  64. 

Hermitage,  66  ;  flows  past  Hermitage  Castle,  67 ;  Count  of 
Keilder's  pool — course  of  river  wild  and  desolate  ib.  ; 

Jed. — Etymology  of  the  name,  45  ;  course  through  the  forest 
of  Jedburgh,  46,  47  ;  where  it  passes  Jedburgh,  48  ;  quality 
of  trouts,  49  ;  nearly  all  the  trout  distroyed  by  refuse  of  lime- 
kiln, 49. 

Kersope. — A  boundary  between  Scotland  and  England,  67. 

Leader,  61  ;  its  source — passes  Earlston,  Cowden  Knowes — 
broom  of,  62  ;  its  name,  ib. 

Liddell,  65  ;  origin  of  the  name — its  rise  and  course,  66. 

Oxnam. — Its  rise  and  course,  44  ;  pasess  through  the  Henwood, 
45. 

Rule. — Etymology  of  name — rise  and  course,  50. 

Slitrig,  50  ;  great  flood,  51  ;  account  of,  52,  53 ;  tradition  of 
the  district  as  to  the  origin  of  flood,  54. 

Teviot. — Next  in  magnitude  to  the  Tweed,  i.  35  ;  its  source — 
etymology  of  the  name,  ib. ;  its  course  and  scenery,  37  ; 
salmon  and  trout,  ib.  ;  Scottish  lyrists  partial  to  this  river, 
38  ;  phenomenon  in  the  river — twice  ceased  to  flow,  72,  73, 
iii.  27. 
Tweed. — where  it  enters  district,  i.  20  ;  where  it  passes  Abbots- 
ford,  30  ;  Bridgend,  31  ;  scenery  on  the  Tweed,  32  ;  salmon 
in  the  river — regulations  for  fishing,  33,  Appendix — fisheries 
in  the  river,  34  ;  great  floods — bridge  over  Tweed  swTept 
away,  69  ;  account  of  by  Mr  James  Ballantyne,  70,  71 ;  the 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  445 

only  bridge  across  river  at  Kelso,  73 ;  ferries  on  the  river, 
ib. ;    catastrophe    at  Galafoot  ferry,   74,  Appendix — festival 
on  the  Tweed  during  a  severe  frost,  73. 
Rivulets,  68. 

Roads,  iv.  352  ;  travelling  in  early  days,  353 ;  coaches  started, 
354. 

Roan  Tower,  iv.  243  ;  slab  found  here. 

Roechester,  a  station  on  Watling  Street,  i.  215  ;  remains  found 
here,  216. 

Roughleanook,    ii.    311  ;    the   home  of   the    celebrated   Dandie 
Dinmont — tradition  as  to  Dandie,  foot  note. 

Roxburghshire,  ii.  1  ;  name  of  shire  derived  from  castle,  1  ;  when 
conferred,  ib.  ;  when  the  name  first  appears,  2  ;  how  the  name 
is  spelled    in   early  charters,    ib. ;    when   the  district   was 
erected   into   a  sheriffdom,    5 ;    had   the  Celtic  people  any 
sheriffdoms  ? — in  the  second  century  writs  addressed  to  the 
sheriff  of  Roxburgh,  6. 
Sheriffs. — Gospatrick,  the  first  sheriff,   John  the  son  of  Orm 
Gervase  Riddel,  7  ;  Herbert  Macchuswel,  8  ;  Walter  Corbet 
Bernard  de  Hauden,  John  de  Macchuswel,  Adam  of  Baggot 
Bernard  de  Hauden,  9  ;  Nicholas  de  Sules,  Hugh  de  Aber 
nethy,  Thomas  Cauer,  Thomas  Randolph,  Hugh  de  Peresby 
10  ;  William  de  Sules,  Walter  Tonk,  Henry  de  Baliol,  11 
Geoffrey  de  Moubray,  John  de  Bourden,  William  de  Felton 
12  ;  Alexander  Ramsay,  13  ;  Sir  William  Douglas,  Coupland 
Henry  Ker,  William  Kareswell,  14  ;  Henry  de  Percy,  15 
•Richard  Tempest,  Alan  del  Strother,  Henry  Strotber,  Thomas 
de  Percy,  Grey,  Sir  Robert  Umframville,   Henry  de  Perc}r 
de  Alnwick,  16  ;  Sir  W.  Stewart  of  Jedforest,  George,  Earl 
of  Angus,  17;  Sir  David  Fleming,  Sir  Archibald  Douglas, 
1 8  ;  Archibald  Douglas  of  Cavers,  William  Douglas,  Archi- 
bald  Douglas,    William   Douglas,    19 ;    James   Douglas   of 
Cavers,  James  Douglas,  20  ;  the  Earl  of  Roxburgh,  William 
Douglas,  the   Duke  of   Monmouth,  Sir    W.  Douglas,  21  ; 
Gilbert  Elliot  of  Minto,  William  Scott  of  Woll,  22  ;  Walter 
Pringle,  Patrick  Murray  of  Cherrytrees,  William  Oliver  of 
Dinlabyre,  William  Oliver  Rutherford  of  Edgerston,  23. 
Sheriff. — One  of  the  earliest  appointments  of  Scoto-Saxon  kings, 
23  ;  court  of  the  sheriff,  24  ;  bishops,  abbots,  &c,  could  not 
hold  courts  without  intimation  to  sheriff,  24  ;  his  presence 
necessary  in  every  baron  court,   25  ;   powers  of  sheriff  in 
criminal  matters,  ib.  ;  punish  idle  men,  26  ;  had  charge  of 
all  the  rivers,  and  obliged  to  hunt  the  wolf,  ib. ;  he  was  also 
conservator  of  game,  27;    regulated  dress  and  quantity  of 
meat  used,  27  ;  power  of  sheriff  in  civil  matters,  28  ;  he  tried 
all  cases  civil  and  criminal  with  the  aid  of  a  jury,  29  ;  jury 
consisted  of  twelve,  ib.  ;  the  breve  of  dittay  was  addressed  to 
him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  attend  justice  ayres,  30. 
Coroner,  his  duties,  31. 


446  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Jurisdictions  of  Regality. — Kelso,  33  ;  Melros,  34 ;  Glasgow, 
ib.  ;  Jedburgh,  35  ;  Paisley,  ib.  ;  regality  of  Jedburgh  Forest, 
36  ;  Sprouston,  37  ;  Hawick,  ib.  ;  regality  of  Liddesdale,  39  ; 
power  of  these  jurisdictions,  40. 

Barons'  Courts. — powers  of  these  courts,  42  ;  courts  originally 
assembled  in  open  air,  43. 

Court  of  the  heritors,  what,  44. 

Constable  of  county— his  powers,  45;  of  Roxburgh  castle,  47  5 
of  Jedburgh  castle,  48. 

Court  of  the  constable,  50. 

Royal  Burgh  jurisdiction,  51. 

Chalmerlain  Aire—  a  court  of  appeal,  52. 
Roxburgh  castle — vide  castles  of  Roxburghshire 
Roxburgh  town,  ii,  54  ;  where  did  the  town  originally  stand — 
no  wall  of  the  town  remains,  56  ;  scenery  around  town, 
59  ;  Floors  Castle,  60  ;  town  governed  by  a  provost,  bailies, 
and  burgesses,  64 ;  Provost  Peter  of  the  Haugh— com- 
munity swore  fealty  to  Edward  I.  ib. ;  names  of  town- 
council  who  took  the  oath,  65 ;  brief  directed  by  Eng- 
lish king  to  warden  to  enquire  into  complaints  of  burgesses 
— town  enclosed  and  paid  by  murage,  ib. ;  Huctred,  the 
baker  provost — Allan  of  Mindrum  provost,  66  ;  Roxburgh 
one  of  the  burghs  forming  court  of  appeal,  ib. ;  burgesses 
received  forty  merks  from  English  king  to  repair  bridge,  67  ; 
community  of  town  taken  under  protection  of  Edward—  seal 
of  the  corporation,  what,  ib. ;  Roxburgh  a  place  of  coinage, 
68  ;  streets  of  the  burgh,  68  ;  King  Street,  ib.  ;  persons  who 
possessed  property  in  this  street,  69  ;  Market  Street,  70  ;  a 
square,  ib. ;  persons  who  had  property  in  this  street,  71  ; 
booths  at  market  place — Sydegate,  where,  ib. ;  Westgate, 
72  ;  churches  of  the  town — holy  sepulchre,  where  it  stood — 
St  John  the  evangelist,  ib.  ;  St  James,  73  ;  when  it  became 
unfit  for  use,  ib. ;  all  the  churches  of  burgh  granted  to  monks 
of  Kelso,  74  ;  convent  of  Greyfriars,  where  it  stood — church 
of  St  Peter — burying-ground  of,  now  ib. ;  Adam  Blunt 
warden,  75  ;  convent  had  right  to  part  of  fishings — hospital 
of  Roxburgh,  76  ;  schools  of  Roxburgh,  77  ;  town  remark- 
able for — included  in  grant  of  David  to  monks  of  Kelso — 
mills  of  the  burgh,  ib. ;  fishings  of  the  town,  78  ;  markets  and 
fairs,  79  ;  St  James  and  St  Laurence,  ib. ;  the  magistrates 
of  Jedburgh  have  jurisdiction  at  the  fair  of  St  James,  81 ; 
Roxburgh  a  royal  residence,  82  ;  kings  who  resided  there, 
ib. ;  Thurston,  Archbishop  of  York,  here,  and  Bishops  of 
Salisbury  and  Roechester,  83  ;  the  religious  houses  which 
obtained  grants  of  property  in  town,  95. 
Roxburgh  manor,  hi.  151  ;  was  of  great  extent  in  the  days  of 
Earl  David — considerable  part  of  territory  held  by  subjects — 
monks  of  Melros  had  lands  in  Tweedflat — Walter,  steward 
of  Roxburgh— Nicholas  de  Sules  tenant  in  chief — Richard 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  447 

Lovel  and  his  wife  held  lands  in  Old  Roxburgh,  152  ;  Lovel 
lost  manor  and  regained  it,  ib. ;  granted  to  Henry  de  Percy, 
Earl  of  Northumberland— James  II.  granted  it  to  Andrew 
Ker— court  of  barony  at  Friars-  -trysting  tree,  a  remarkable 
wych  elm— its  size,  153;  origin  of  name,  154;  tradition  in 
regard  to  it — in  what  parish  do  Kelso  lands  lie  — churches  of 
manor  property  of  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  ib.  ;  at  Bishop's  death 
reverted  toDavid  I.,  who  conferred  them  on  monks  of  Kelso, 
155  ;  grant  confirmed — where  was  the  church  of  Old  Box- 
burgh  '\  157  ;  graveyard  of  Old  Roxburgh,  ib. ;  burying-place 
of  Kers — Bluegown  buried  here,  158  ;  present  village  of 
Roxburgh,  159  ;  Wallace's  tower — destroyed  by  Earl  of 
Hertford,  160. 

Ruecastle,  originally  part  of  barony  of  Bedrule,  ii.  338  ;  its  situa- 
tion— protected  by  two  towers,  which  were  destroyed  by 
Lord  Dacre — William  of  Ruecastle  swore  fealty  to  Edward, 
ib.  ;  afterwards  belonged  to  Dickson  of  Ormeston,  Ruther- 
ford of  Hundole,  and  Lord  Jedburgh,  338  ;  lands  now  pos- 
sessed by  a  family  of  Pott — Lady's  Well. 

Rutherford,  ii.  266  ;  its  name — etymology,  iv.  192  ;  when  the 
name  first  appears— the  ancient  possession  of  the  family  of 
Rutherford — town  of  Rutherford,  where — hospital  of,  193. 

Rutherford  of  that  ilk,  ii.  277  ;  first  appearance  of  the  name — 
during  reign  of  Alexander  II.-  -Gregory,  Nicholas,  Richard, 
and  William  Rutherford,  298  ;  Rutherford,  Nicholas,  relation 
of  Wallace,  and  joined  him  with  sixty  men,  279  ;  Robert 
Rutherford  f ought  with  Bruce,  ib. ;  notices  of  family,  28<)  ; 
Rutherfords  of  Fairnington  are  the  lineal  descendants  of  the 
Rutherfords  of  that  ilk. 

Rutherford,  John,  of  Chatto,  ancestor  of  family  of  Hunthill,  ii. 
279. 

Rutherford,  Nichol,  ancestor  of  Hundole  family,  ii.  299  ;  arms  of 
family,  2S4. 

Rutherford,  John,  iv.  356. 

Rutherford,  Samuel,  iv.  356. 

Saxons,  i.  263  ;  overran  the  territory  of  Romanized  Gadeni — 
battle  of  Cattreath — battle  of  Dauston,  265  ;  imposed  names 
on  many  places,  267  ;  migration  of  Saxons  to  Scotland,  274  ; 
a  number  of  families  settled  in  Teviotdale — were  Pagans, 
275  ;  were  called  fish- eaters  by  Celts,  ib.  ;  artificers,  276. 

Scraesburgh,  ii.  284  ;  its  situation,  originally  property  of  Richard 
Inglis — granted  two  oxgangs  in  the  manor  to  monks  of  Jed- 
burgh, 285  ;  the  lands  passed  to  the  family  of  Cumyn — after- 
wards property  of  Robert  Rutherford,  ib.  ;  Sir  Andrew,  first  of 
Hunthill,  ib.;  John  Rutherford  called  the  "  Cock  of  Hunthill" 
— was  at  battle  of  Redswyre,  286  ;  his  sons  hanged  for 
treason — Thomas  became  Lord  Rutherford,  ib.  ;  governor  of 
Dunkirk,  287  ;  slain  at  Tangier — lands  erected  into  a  barony 
— town  of  Capehope  called  Rutherford  erected  into  a  free  burgh, 


448  THE   HISTORY   AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

288  ;  Archibald  executed  a  deed  in  favour  of  Sir  John  Scott  of 
Ancrum,  289  ;  title  is  now  extinct — the  town,  where  situated. 

Selby,  Charles,  Earl  of,  iii.  265. 

Selkirk,  iv.  169  ;  convent  of  Kelso  had  possessions  here — when 
did  monks  settle  here? — what  is  a  husbandland  here  ?  170  ; 
bridge  of  Ettrick. 

Severus,  i.  212. 

Sheriffs  of  Roxburghshire,  ii.  6 — tide  Roxburghshire. 

Smailholm,  iii.  133  ;  meaning  of  the  name — time  of  manor's  ap- 
pearance— granted  by  David  I.  to  David  de  Olifard,  his  god- 
son— monks  of  Dry  burgh  possessed  lands  in  Smailholm,  134  ; 
from  Olifard  lands  passed  to  Walter  of  Moray,  135  ;  Hali- 
burtons  of  Merton  tenants  of  part  of  lands — lands  passed 
to  a  family  of  Purves — afterwards  to  the  Cranstons,  136  ; 
Rutherfurds  part  owners — the  family  of  Hoppringle  possessed 
part  of  lands — now  the  property  of  Earl  of  Haddington,  ib.; 
Edward  I.  was  at  Smailholm  on  his  way  north — persons  who 
bore  the  surname  of  Smailholm,  137  ;  mother  of  Captain  Cook 
resided  here  at  the  time  of  her  marriage — Smailholm  Crags, 
ib. — vide  Smailholm  tower. 

Smailholm  Tower,  iii.  137  ;  situation  of  tower — form  of  building, 
138  ;  chapel  outside  of  wall— magnificent  view  from  top  of 
tower— belonged  to  family  of  Hoppringle — now  to  Lord  Pol- 
warth — Cromwell  besieged  fort — celebrated  in  the  "  Eve  of 
St  John,"  139. 

Somerset,  Earl  of,  ii.  2^7  ;  son  of  Thomas  Ker  of  Fernieherst  — 
notice  of  him,  foot  note. 

Somerville  William  de,  of  Linton,  iii.  207  ;  origin  of  the  family — 
William  followed  David  into  Scotland,  208  ;  tradition  as  to 
way  Linton  was  acquired,  209  ;  notices  of  the  family — monu- 
ment above  door  of  church  of  Linton,  215. 

Somerville,  Thomas,  Jedburgh,  iv.  364. 

South  dean.  ii.  312  ;  etymology  of  name — old  church  of  Sowdon, 
ib.;  site  of  town  and  church — ruins  of  chapel,  313  ;  descrip- 
tion of  the  ruins — ash  trees  growing  in  the  ruins,  ib.;  notices 
of  these  trees,  foot  note  ;  Scottish  army  under  Douglas  as- 
sembled here  before  battle  of  Otterburn,  314  ;  iii.  264  ;  new 
church  built  in  1790,  ii.  315  ;  jougs  still  fixed  in  wall,  316  ; 
in  graveyard  ather  of  the  author  of  "  Seasons  "  is  interred, 
ib.;  Cout  of  Keilder  also  lies  here — Wheel  Causeway  can  be 
traced  to  within  two  miles  of  chapel. 

Softlaw,  iii.  188  ;  part  of  barony  of  Maxwell — possessed  by  .Adam 
of  Softlaw — by  a  family  of  Sadler — from  Sadler  lands  passed 
to  Roger  of  Auldtown —lands  granted  by  Robert  II.  to  John 
of  Maxwell,  189;  Richard  II.  granted  them  to  Richard 
Horslie — lands  afterwards  passed  into  the  hands  of  Ker  and 
Kene, 

Sprouston,  iii.  192  ;  where  name  is  seen— etymology— the  manor 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,   ETC.  449 

the  property  of  David  I. — granted  to  Eustace  de  Vescy, 
193 ;  Eustace  and  his  wife  granted  all  their  possessions  within 
barony  to  monks  of  Kelso,  194;  Robert  Bruce  conferred  the 
barony  on  his  son  Robert  I. — David  II.  granted  same  to 
Thomas  Murray — Henry  IV.  to  Henry  Percy — David  I. 
granted  church  of  Sprouston  to  the  monks  of  Kelso,  198  ;  it 
was  dedicated  to  St  Michael — village  of  Sprouston— it  was 
defended  by  a  strong  tower— ferry  on  Tweed — number  of 
weavers  in  1790 — priory  of  Charterhouse  had  lands  here — 
King  and  Queen  of  England,  with  a  large  retinue,  staid 
here  for  some  days,  199  ;  town  destroyed  by  Umfraville — 
burned  by  Dacre  and  by  Eurie — it  was  destroyed  by  Hert- 
ford. 

Standard  Hill,  iii.  31 9  ;  stone  mountain. 

Stewart,  Sir  William,  sheriff,  ii.  17. 

Stirches,  iv.  301  ;  part  of  barony  of  Wilton — its  situation — man- 
sion-house— antiquity  of,  302  ;  seat  of  family  of  Chisholme — 
notices  of  family,  303  ;  lands  of  Heip  also  part  of  barony, 
304. 
titchel,  iii,  123  ;  its  name — view  from  this  place  extensive  and 
beautiful,  124  ;  part  of  territory  of  Gordon — Gordons  rose  to 
be  Dukes  of  Gordon,  125  ;  Richard  Steccanel,  ib.;  Gordon's 
lands  passed  to  Pringles,  126  ;  church  of. 

Stockstrother,  iii.  362  ;  derivation  of  name — place  of  importance, 
and  strongly  fortified — part  of  old  buildings  still  to  be  seen — 
share  of  visits  of  English. 

Stodrig,  iii.  J  68  ;  derived  from  Strother,  a  marsh. 

Stotfield  and  Narrow,  ii.  296,  302  ;  terraces  on  the  hillside,  sup- 
posed to  be  agricultural,  307. 

Street  House,  i.  221  ;  camp  of  Agricola  here,  349. 

Strothers,  Allan  de,  one  of  sheriffs  of  shire,  ii.  10. 

Stryndis,  ii.  319  ;  possession  of  a  family  of  Olivers — origin  of 
name  of  Oliver,  foot  note — six  brothers  Olivers  were  noted 
thieves,  320 — vide  Oliver. 

Sules  de,  Ranulph,  iv.  217  ;  came  with  Earl  David — got  grant  of 
valley  of  Lydal — witnesses  many  charters — left  two  sons, 
Ranulph  and  Richard,  218;  assassinated  in  his  house  — 
place  of  assassination,  where — notices  of  family. 

Sules  de,  Nicholas,  ii.  10  ;  one  of  sheriffs  of  county — said  to  be 
wisest  man  of  kingdom,  219. 

Sunlaws,  iii.  161  ;  situation  of  the  mansion— Ker  of  Cessford  pos- 
sessed the  estate — it  afterwards  belonged  to  the  Kers  of 
Greenlaw,  161  ;  at  death  of  Lady  Chatto  lands  passed  to 
Scott  of  Thirlston — Robert  Scott  Ker  then  became  owner  — 
his  son  is  now  the  owner — tower  of  Sunlaws  destroyed  by 
Lord  Dacre — Prince  Charles  passed  a  night  at  Sunlaws,  162 — 
vide  Ker  of  Sunlaws. 

Swynside,  iii.  282;  Vedastus  of  Jeddewood  was  proprietor  of 
part  of  this  place. 

2   F 


450  THE   HISTORY  AND   ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Syde  tower,  iv.  238  ;  residence  of  "  Jock  o'  the  Syde." 

Symon  of  Blackdene,  iii.  282. 

Tarras  Moss,  iv.  256. 

Telfer,  James,  Saughtree  school,  iv.  369. 

Tempest,  Richard,  ii.  10  ;  one  of  the  sheriffs  of  English  King. 

Thirlstane,  iii,  263  ;  belonged  to  Ker  of  Greenhead,  afterwards 
to  James  Scott — old  mansion,  where  it  stood —  one  of  the 
lairds  was  distinguished  as  a  chemist — physician  to  Charles 
II. — one  of  the  rooms  of  mansion  called  "  Warlock's  Room," 
264  ;  "  Jack-boot "  long  preserved  here,  what — it  is  part  of 
Cherrytrees,   property    of    Mr    Boyd— vide    Cherrytrees — 

Thomson,  James,  iv.  357. 

Thortorwood,  ii.  323. 

Threpwude,  iv.  98 ;  property  of  monks — game  reserved  by  granter, 

Timpendean,  ii.  374. 

Tofts,  iii.  308. 

Tonk,  Walter,  ii.  11  ;  one  of  Edward's  sheriffs. 

Towers  of  Roxburghshire. 

Trimontium  station,  i.  225  ;  where  situated — Roy's  opinion,  229  ; 
Chalmers'  view  examined,  242  ;  Newstead  thought  to  be  the 
Trimontium  station,  343. 

Trows,  iii.  166  ;  name  a  corruption  of  Thor  or  Tor — high  rocks  on 
the  river  Tweed — description  of  them — great  numbers  of 
salmon  frequent  these  rocks,  167 ;  legend  of  St  Cuthbert,  168, 

Turnbull,  clan,  ii.  326 ;  Turnbulls  descended  from  a  family  of 
Roule — the  reason  of  the  name  being  changed,  ib.;  described 
by  Leyden,  327  ;  King  Robert  I.  conferred  grant  of  land  of 
Philliphaugh  on  William  Turnbull,  ib.;  this  William  Turn- 
bull  fell  in  single  combat  at  Halidon  Hill,  276,  328  ;  first  ap- 
pearance of  name  in  Teviotdale,  328  ;  Walter  Turnbull  of 
Mynto,  who  was  he  ?  ib.;  John  Turnbull  fell  at  Crevant,  329  ; 
a  Turnbull  knighted  for  bravery  at  siege  of  Orleans — Walter 
Turnbull,  son  of  John,  claimed  the  lands  of  Mynto — divided  be- 
tween him  and  Sir  William  Stewart,  ib.;  strength  of  the  clan. 
330 ;  two  hundred  of  the  clan  tried  before  justice  aire,  Jedburgh 
— Walter  Turnbull  of  Mynto  found  caution  to  underlye  the 
law  at  Jedburgh,  ib.;  the  king  attended  court  in  person,  331; 
Border  clans  completely  subdued — English  burned  all  the 
castles  and  houses  on  valley  of  Rule — clan  Turnbull  took  as- 
surance from  the  English — were  present  at  battle  of  Ancrum 
Moor — joined  the  Douglas  on  the  battle  being  formed,  ib.; 
Thomas  Turnbull  of  Bedrule  supported  Queen  Mary,  332  ; 
was  at  the  raid  of  Redswyre — Wat  of  Bedrule  supported 
James  VI.  against  Bothwell  and  Home,  ib.;  Thomas  Turn- 
bull  subscribed  bond  at  Kelso,  333  ;  Thomas  Turnbull,  335  ; 
William  Turnbull,  bishop  of  Glasgow,  was  of  the  house  of 
Bedrule,  337 ;  David  Turnbull  of  Wauchop  denounced  rebel, 
330  ;  Hector  Turnbull  and  John  Turnbull,  334  ;  John  Turn- 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  451 

bull  of  Bullerwell,  Andrew  Turnbull,  his  brother,  and  George 
Turnbull,  ib.;  Walter  Turnbull  of  Howay,  330  ;  George 
Turnbull,  334  ;  Hector  Turnbull  in  Clarilaw— Margaret 
Turnbull,  Lady  Appotside,  ib.;  Thomas  Turnbull  of  Hoppis- 
burne,  335  ;  Andrew  Turnbull,  brother  to  Guidman  of  Beu- 
lie,  beheaded  for  murder  of  Thomas  Ker  of  Crailing,  333  ; 
George  Turnbull  of  Belses  tried  as  a  common  robber  and 
hanged — Hector  Turnbull,  Lilliesleaf,  declared  rebel,  ib.; 
Hector  Turnbull  of  Barnhills,  his  brother,  and  uncle,  de- 
nounced rebels  for  not  appearing  to  answer  charge  of  the 
slaughter  of  six  Grahamslaws  of  Newton,  334  ;  William  Turn- 
bull  of  Langraw,  sometime  provost  of  Jedburgh,  226  ;  repre- 
sentatives of  the  outlaw — Thomas  Turnbull  of  Standhill  in- 
curred forfeiture  for  adhesion  to  Presbyterian  cause — Captain 
Robert  Turnbull,  his  successor,  governor  of  Dumbarton 
Castle,  ib.;  William,  bishop  of  Glasgow,  iv.  335  ;  William, 
physician,  iv.  360. 

Ulston,  ii.  372  ;  belonged  to  abbey  of  Jedburgh — erected  into  a 
barony — extent  of  barony,  ib. ;  part  of  it  now  belongs  to  Lord 
Campbell. 

Umfraville,  Sir  Robert,  ii.  16  ;  one  of  sheriffs. 

Unth^uk  chapel — legend  of,  iv.  243. 

Urbicus  Lollius,  i.  210  ;  he  reduced  the  Britons — erected  a  mili- 
tary-way and  ditch  between  Forth  and  Clyde. 

Valentinian,  i.  212  ;  land  lying  between  the  two  walls  named 
after  him — Valentia. 

Vedastus  of  Jeddewood,  iii.  282. 

Waldie,  John,  of  Henderside,  iii.  116;  the  first  of  the  name  of 
Waldo — one  of  descendants  secretary  to  the  Abbot  of  Kelso, 
118 — vide  Henderside. 

Walker,  General,  i.  69. 

Walter,  the  son  of  Allan,  the  Steward,  iv.  18  ;  his  grants  to  Mel- 
rose Abbey. 

Watling  Street,  i.  213 — vide  Roman  Antiquities. 

Wauchope,  ii.  341  ;  etymology  of  name— manor  an  ancient  pos- 
session of  Turnbulls — passed  to  the  Cranstouns — it  now  be- 
longs to  a  family  of  Scott — Walter  Scott  of  Crumhaugh — 
representatives  of  the  old  Scotts  of  Goudielands — Walter 
Scott  of  Wauchope,  344 ;  his  son  succeeded,  345  ;  his  wife 
was  a  correspondent  of  Burns,  ib.;  the  poet's  visit  to  Wau- 
chope, 345  ;  camps  at  Wauchope-rig — earthworks,  346 — vide 
Goudielands. 

Weens  or  Wynds,  ii.  341. 

Weirdlaw  Hill,  iv.  157. 

Wellflat,  iii.  205. 

Wells  of  the  district,  i.  78. 

Petrifying  Springs. — Formerly  two  on  Tweed  at  Roxburgh— 
Tweedon  in  Liddisdale,  78,  79. 


452  THE   HISTORY   AND  ANTIQUITIES   OF 

Chalybeate   and   Sulphurous  Springs. — Tudhope,    Stewartfield, 
Oxnam,  Crailing,  Lessuden,   Hermiston,  Thorleshope,  Sher- 
buttrees,  Dunlawbyre,  and  Lariston,  79,  80. 
Holy  Wells. — St  Helen,  St  Dunston,  St  Robert,  and  St  Catherine, 
81,  82. 

West  Houses,  iv.  8 1  ;  possession  of  Ormstons — tower  of — situation 
of  town,  82  ;  purchased  by  Lord  Somerville,  83  ;  Pavilion, 
notice  of 

Wheel  Causey,  i.  247. 

Whitlaw,  iv.  158. 

Whitton,  hi.  297  ;  etymology  of  name — family  of  Riddell  acquired 
lands  from  David  I. — monks  of  Melros  had  possessions  in 
this  territory — town  once  of  considerable  extent — ruins  of  its 
fort  still  to  be  seen — it  was  cast  down  by  Surrey — town 
destroyed  by  Hertford,  298  ;  several  families  bore  the  sur- 
name of  Whitton. 

Whitton-Over,  iii.  3 1 9. 

Whithaugh  tower,  iv.  236  ;  a  tower  of  the  Elliots. 

Whitmere,  iv.  158. 

Wide-Open,  iii.  305  ;  originally  part  of  barony  of  Grubbet—  pro- 
perty of  maternal  uncle  of  the  poet  Thomson — again  united 
to  Grubbet. 

Wedale,  i,  202  ;  name  of,  iv.  5  ;  its  situation — rights  of  monks 
in  the  forest,  6. 

Wilton,  barony  of,  iv.  298  ;  an  early  settler  conferred  name  on  it 
—town  of,  300  ;  church  of,  301. 

Winberg,  ii.  346. 

Witelei,  iv.  102  ;  its  situation — granted  by  Richard  de  Morville  to 
convent  of  Melros. 

Wodenlaw,  i.  220  ;  extensive  view  from — pass  in  the  Cheviot 
mountains. 

Wodhouse,  ii.  323. 

Woodenburn,  i.  69. 

Wolflee,  ii.  356  ;  situation — in  early  times  property  of  abbey  of 
Jedburgh — the  lands  at  one  time  belonged  to  Rutherfurds — 
afterwards  Turnbulls — now  possessed  by  the  family  of 
EUiot,  ib. 

Wooplaw,  iv.  99  ;  belonged  to  Melros — it  is  now  the  property  of 
a  family  of  Murray — notice  of  family. 

Wranghame,  iii.  139  ;  in  early  times  property  of  monks  of  Dry- 
burgh — the  town  does  not  now  exist — thought  to  be  the 
place  where  nurse  of  St  Cuthbert  resided,  and  with  whom 
saint  lived — miracle  wrought  by  the  saint  here,  ib. 

Yetholm  kirk,  iii.  229  ;  name  thought  to  be  derived  from  Anglo- 
Saxon — two  towns  bearing  the  name,  230 ;  barony  of — town 
Yetholm  on  the  north  of  Beaumont — Kirk  Yetholm  on  the 
south — Ralph  Nanus  an  early  proprietor — he  granted  three 
acres  to  the  monks  of  Kelso,  231 ;  half- husband- lands,  where 


ROXBURGHSHIRE,    ETC.  453 

— persons  who  bore  the  name  of  Yetham,  233  ;  Robert  II. 
granted  barony  to  Fergus  M'Dougal,  ib. ;  lands  passed  by- 
grant  to  William  de  Haudon — town  of  Kirk  Yetholm,  237  ; 
inhabitants  are  rentallers — manufactory  of  woollen  yarn 
here,  238  ;  territory  governed  by  a  baron  bailie — customs  on 
Shrovetide — ball  playing,  239  ;  Christmas  festivities,  241 ; 
long  abode  of  gipsy  tribes,  ib.  ;  notices  of  the  church,  236  ; 
King  Edward  here  for  two  days,  264  ;  Earl  Surrey  lodged  a 
night  here,  ib.  ;  party  of  Highlanders  in  1745  passed  through 
town — persons  who  have  borne  name  of  Yetham,  265. 

Yetholm  town,  iii.  258  ;  at  one  time  property  of  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell — afterwards  to  Gilbert  Ker — John  Ker  of  Hirsel 
was  owner,  259  ;  his  eldest  son  obtained  the  lands — the  lands 
were  for  sometime  in  hands  of  Buccleuch,  ib.  ;  they  are  now 
possessed  by  Wauchope  of  Niddrie — the  town  is  regularly 
built — it  is  governed  by  a  baron  bailie,  262. 

Yevering,  Bel,  i.  173,  348. 

Young,  Andrew,  of  Cowenshill,  iii.  205. 

Younger,  John,  iv.  371. 


COLSTON  &   SON,    PRINTERS,    EDINBURGH.